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Aspiring Aspirin or Willow?
William Shakespeare’s Othello Act 4 Sc.3 Desdemona’s song: Sing: ‘Willow, willow, willow …’
Ladies First: Aspirin is in the news again.1 A study has found that Aspirin, prescribed to be taken as a preventive against heart attacks and strokes, also appears to reduce women’s chances of breast cancer development.2 Previous studies reached conflicting conclusions as to whether there is a link between aspirin and breast cancer. ‘It is a landmark study.3 This is the first study to examine whether aspirin might influence the growth of specific types of tumours’.4 The tumours that resulted in a reduced risk are those tumours whose growth is promoted by the hormones oestrogen and progesterone. Some 70% of women who develop breast cancer have this type of cancer, which is called hormone receptor-positive. The women taking part in the study who used aspirin for a minimum of three months were almost 30% less likely to develop hormone-stimulated breast cancer than women who did not. Unfortunately, aspirin had no effect on the risk of developing the other type of tumour, hormone receptor-negative. The researchers suspect aspirin works by interfering with the body’s production of oestrogen. It is early days yet and more research is required before GP’s can recommend that women take aspirin to ward off breast cancer, especially as taking aspirin can cause side effects such as stomach bleeding. From a data analysis of 1,442 breast cancer patients, average age 59, compared with a group of 1,420 healthy women without the disease, based on their use of three pain relievers: aspirin, ibuprofen and acetaminophen. Ibuprofen was used by fewer women in the study and results were inconclusive. No reduced risk was found among acetaminophen users. Aspirin blocks the action of an enzyme that produces inflammatory substances ‘prostaglandins’, which in turn induce an enzyme crucial to the production of oestrogen; thus it may indirectly help lower the levels of oestrogen in the breast. The link with aspirin was strongest in women who took seven or more tablets a week and was greater in postmenopausal women than in younger women, which result is reasonable because hormone-promoted tumours are more common in older women. Gentlemen: The saying that what goes on in America eventually lands up this side of the Herring Pond is often true. Therefore, the latest and largest study of the American nation’s growing obesity problem being a contributor to an increase in breast cancer among men. Taken over the past 25 years on more than 2,500 American men with the disease, the study is relevant to the growing obesity in the UK. Although a breast cancer remains a tiny risk in men, an increase in cases of 26% between 1973 and 1998 is an alarming result.5 The study ‘raises suspicion’ that obesity may be responsible for the rise in breast cancer for men and women. ‘Fat tissue produce oestrogen’, which in turn can lead to breast cancer. ‘The cancer link with obesity is growing stronger the more it is looked at’.6 COMMENT: Ladies & Gentlemen: We can perhaps presume that those already prescribed aspirin for heart attack prevention etc. are protected, but aspirin has it’s limitations regarding continued use side effects. Unlike Aspirin, white willow bark extract contains only the precursor salicin, which passes unchanged through the stomach and is said not to convert into salicylic acid until it reaches the liver and the site of the inflammation. (See article: ‘Willow the It Herb’) It therefore beggars the imagination as to why natural willow has so little research, and is not developed to be employed instead of aspirin in on-going use cases where it may be more appropriate. Again, it’s early days, and in the animal research stage, but researchers in Japan have started looking at Salix matsudana a relative of our willow (Salix albies), to isolate its anti-obesity effectors from its polyphenol fractions. It is heartening to hope that the Willow species could have some answers to both obesity and mammary cancers. References: 1 Chicago Associated Press ‘Study: Aspirin might cut risk of breast cancer’ by Lindsey Tanner, Medical Writer 25th May 2004. Funded by the National Cancer Institute and the National Institute of Environmental Health. 2. Journal of the American Medical Association. Pub. 19th May 2004. Research leaders Mary Beth Terry, Dr Alfred Neugut of Columbia University, Dr Andrew Dannenberg of Weill Cornell Medical College. Funded by the National Cancer Institute and the National Institute of Environmental Health. 3. Dr. Sheryl Gabram, Breast specialist at Loyola University Medical Centre, Chicago, USA. 4. Dr Raymond DuBois, Director of Cancer Prevention, Vanderbilt University’s Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Centre. 5. Published in Cancer, Journal of the American Cancer Society: Author Dr Sharon Giordano, Asst. Prof. of Medicine and Breast Medical Oncology at the University of Texas’ MD Anderson Cancer Centre, Houston, USA. 6. Dr Michael Thun, Epidemiology Chief Atlanta-based Cancer Society. 7 ‘Anti-obesity action of Salix matsudana leaves (part 2). Isolation of anti-obesity effectors from polyphenol fractions of Salix matsudana.’ Hans LK, et al. Second Department of Medical Biochemistry, School of Medicine, Ehime University, Shigenobu-cho, Onsen-gun, Ehime, Japan. Phytother Res 2003 Dec;17(10):1195-8. |
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