- ALLERGY, RESPIRATORY
- Childhood Food Allergies on the Rise
- Asthmatics Who Quit Smoking May Reverse Lung Damage
- Air Pollution May Raise Blood Pressure
- ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE
- Many Cancer Patients Turn to Complementary Medicine
- Massage Therapy Helps Those With Advanced Cancer
- Health Tip: Anticipating Acupuncture
- ANIMAL CARE
- Beware of Dog Bites
- Separation Anxiety, Canine-Style
- Rest Easy. When It Comes to Swine Flu, Your Pet Is Safe
- BONES & JOINTS
- For All Their Plusses, Pets Pose a Risk for Falls, Too
- Barefoot Lifestyle Has Its Dangers
- Health Tip: Back Pain in Children
- CANCER
- Immune Therapy May Aid Kids With Neuroblastoma
- Red Meat No No No But Oily Fish Yes Yes Yes
- Antioxidants Pose No Melanoma Threat
- CAREGIVING
- Caregiving May Lengthen Life
- Diabetes Epidemic Now Poses Challenges for Nursing Homes
- Late-Life Fatherhood May Lower Child's Intelligence
- CIRCULATORY SYSTEM
- Anemia Rates Down for U.S. Women and Children
- Health Tip: Are You Anemic?
- Mercury in Fish Linked to High Blood Pressure
- COSMETIC
- With Psoriasis, the Internet May Offer Hope
- Contact Lenses Boost Kids' Self-Image
- What to Do If You Have Unsightly Veins
- DENTAL, ORAL
- Scientists Find Gene for Tooth Enamel
- Holistic Dentistry-My View
- A Sweet Way to Shield Baby's Teeth
- DIABETES
- Abnormal Heart Rhythm Boosts Death Risk for Diabetics
- Diabetes Linked to Cognitive Problems
- Laughter May Lower Heart Attack Risk in Diabetics
- DIET, NUTRITION
- Fatty Acid in Olive Oil Wards Off Hunger
- Mediterranean Diet Plus Exercise Lowers Alzheimer's Risk
- Functional Foods Uncovered
- DISABILITIES
- Could Your Cell Phone Help Shield You From Alzheimer's?
- Review Finds Marijuana May Help MS Patients
- ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH
- Accumulated Lead May Affect Older Women's Brains
- As Earth Warms, Lyme Disease Could Flourish
- Global Warming Linked to Heightened Kidney Stone Risk
- EYE CARE, VISION
- Autistic Children Make Limited Eye Contact
- When Corks Fly, Watch the Eyes
- Half of U.S. Adults Lack 20/20 Vision
- FITNESS
- Strenuous Daily Workout May Keep Cancer at Bay
- Living With Less TV, More Sweat Boosts Weight Loss
- Exercise in Adolescence May Cut Risk of Deadly Brain Tumor
- GASTROINTESTINAL PROBLEMS
- Soothing Imagery May Help Rid Some Kids of Stomach Pain
- Olive Oil May Protect Against Bowel Disease
- Intestinal Bacteria Trigger Immune Response
- GENERAL HEALTH
- Vitamin D Best Taken With Largest Meal of Day, Study Finds
- Bacterial Infections May Succumb to Honey
- More Medicinal Uses for Pomegranate
- HEAD & NECK
- Ski Helmets Encouraged for All
- Many Children Will Outgrow Headaches
- Zen May Thicken Brain, Thwart Pain
- HEALTH & TECHNOLOGY
- 'Comfort Dogs' Come to Emotional Rescue
- Save Your Aging Brain, Try Surfing The Web
- The Internet Is Becoming One-Stop Shopping for Health Help
- HEART & CARDIOVASCULAR
- Kids With Vitamin D Deficiency Linked to Heart Trouble
- Shedding Light on Why Omega-3 Fatty Acids May Help the Heart
- Laughter Can Boost Heart Health
- INFECTIOUS DISEASE
- The HPV Vaccine: Preventative Medicine or Human Sacrifice?
- Chinese 'Devil Dung' Plant Could Be a Swine Flu Fighter
- More Medicinal Uses for Pomegranate
- KID'S HEALTH
- Family Medicine Cabinet Top Source Of Kid's Poisonings
- Should Your Child Be Seeing a Chiropractor?
- Traffic Seems to Make Kids' Asthma Worse
- MEN'S HEALTH
- Noise Hurts Men's Hearing More, Study Shows
- Exercise May Prevent Prostate Cancer: Study Shows
- Vigorous Exercise Cuts Stroke Risk for Men, Not Women
- MENTAL HEALTH
- Memory Loss Help from Brain Supplement Prevagen
- Fear Response May Stem From Protein in Brain
- Shop 'Til You Drop: You May Feel Better
- PREGNANCY
- Expectant Mom's Exercise Keeps Newborn's Birth Weight Down
- Sugary Colas Tied to Gestational Diabetes
- Yoga's Benefits Outweigh Risks for Pregnant Women
- SENIORS
- Older People at Greater Risk of Swine Flu Death
- Exercise Benefits Even the Oldest Old
- Seniors Cope With Sleep Loss Better Than Young Adults
Papaya Could Be a Cancer Fighter
By eholistic.com Published: 03/12/2010
An extract from dried papaya slows the growth of cancer cells in the laboratory, researchers report.
It's not clear if it will have the same effect on cancer in people, however.
University of Florida researcher Dr. Nam Dang and Japanese colleagues report that the papaya extract appears to affect the regulation of the body's immune system and doesn't cause side effects by harming normal cells.
The findings reflect the use of papaya by indigenous people in Australia and Vietnam, Dang, a professor of medicine, said in a news release from the university.
"Based on what I have seen and heard in a clinical setting, nobody who takes this extract experiences demonstrable toxicity; it seems like you could take it for a long time -- as long as it is effective," he said.
The researchers report that four strengths of papaya leaf extract slowed the growth of 10 types of cancer cell cultures, including cancers of the cervix, breast, liver, lung and pancreas.
SOURCE: University of Florida, news release, March 10, 2010
Last Updated: March 12, 2010
