多喝苦瓜汁能防胰臟癌
作者: 【記者蘇湘雲/綜合外電報導】 | 台灣新生報 – 2013年3月14日 上午12:05苦瓜雖然很營養,但很多人不太敢吃苦瓜。美國科羅拉多大學癌症中心進行動物實驗發現,苦瓜汁或許可以預防胰臟癌,並可殺死胰臟癌細胞。老鼠食用苦瓜之後,罹癌風險減少約六成之多。
動物實驗顯示,苦瓜汁可以阻止癌細胞代謝葡萄糖,這樣癌細胞就會失去能量來源,最後慘遭殲滅。研究成果本周發表於「癌症形成」醫學期刊。
美國科羅拉多大學癌症中心癌症防治計畫主持人、藥學與製藥科學教授拉傑許‧阿加爾瓦爾表示,三年前進行培養皿實驗時,早發現苦瓜萃取物可以抑制乳癌細胞。這次研究更進一步採用動物實驗,測試苦瓜對不同癌細胞是否也有抑制效果。這次實驗用的是苦瓜汁,許多亞洲國家都有吃苦瓜的習慣。研究結果發現,苦瓜會干擾癌細胞代謝葡萄糖,讓癌細胞沒有食物可吃,癌細胞失去能量,就會邁向死亡之路。
另外,苦瓜也能調節胰臟β細胞分泌胰島素。研究人員發現,老鼠食用苦瓜汁後,產生胰臟癌的機率減少了百分之六十。阿加爾瓦爾指出,許多新藥研究想盡辦法要抑制癌細胞吸取能量,結果天然食物成分也許就能達到這種效果,成果讓人振奮。
鄭醫師補充:
上述報導的參考文獻:
Manjinder Kaur, Gagan Deep, Anil K. Jain,Komal Raina,Chapla Agarwal,Michael Wempe,and Rajesh Agarwal
Bitter melon juice activates cellular energy sensor AMP-activated protein kinase causing apoptotic death of human pancreatic carcinoma cells Carcinogenesis bgt081 first published online March 8, 2013 doi:10.1093/carcin/bgt081
http://carcin.oxfordjournals.org/content/early/2013/03/07/carcin.bgt081.abstract
苦瓜在醫療用途上,由來已久,尤其是亞洲以及非洲地區,在土耳其的民間療法。苦瓜可用於胃部不適的治療改善:
Semiz, A, Sen A. (February 2007). "Antioxidant and chemoprotective properties of Momordica charantia L. (bitter melon) fruit extract". African Journal of Biotechnology 6 (3): 273–277.
研究發現苦瓜的某些活性物質對於幫助身體代謝醣類以及癌症預防有實際的效果,之前已經發表的研究發現淋巴癌、大腸癌以及乳癌都能產生效果:
Kobori, M.; Ohnishi-Kameyama, M.; Akimoto, Y.; Yukizaki, C.; Yoshida, M. (2008). "Α-Eleostearic Acid and Its Dihydroxy Derivative Are Major Apoptosis-Inducing Components of Bitter Gourd". Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 56 (22): 10515–10520. doi:10.1021/jf8020877. PMID 18959405.
- H. Kohno, Y. Yasui, R. Suzuki, M. Hosokawa, K. Miyashita, T. Tanaka (2004), Dietary seed oil rich in conjugated linolenic acid from bitter melon inhibits azoxymethane-induced rat colon carcinogenesis through elevation of colonic PPAR γ expression and alteration of lipid composition. International Journal of Cancer, volume 110, pages 896–901.
- Ratna Ray "Possible Cancer Cure in 'Karela', also known as Bitter Melon", The Chakra, 26 February 2010.
- Ray RB, Raychoudhuri A, Steele R, Nerurkar P., Bitter Melon (Momordica charantia) Extract Inhibits Breast Cancer Cell Proliferation by Modulating Cell Cycle Regulatory Genes and Promotes Apoptosis. Cancer Res. 2010 Mar 1;70(5):1925-31. http://cancerres.aacrjournals.org/content/70/5/1925.long
臨床上研究最多的莫過於對醣類代謝,因此對糖尿病的預防以及治療都有實際的臨床效果。因此也有營養品廠商製成補充品來協助消費者保健:
Sridhar MG, Vinayagamoorthi R, Arul Suyambunathan V, Bobby Z, Selvaraj N (2008-04-01). "Bitter gourd (Momordica charantia) improves insulin sensitivity by increasing skeletal muscle insulin-stimulated IRS-1 tyrosine phosphorylation in high-fat-fed rats". British Journal of Nutrition 99 (4): 806–12. doi:10.1017/S000711450783176X. PMID 17942003. http://journals.cambridge.org/article_S000711450783176X.
Tan, Min-Jia; Ji-Ming Ye, Nigel Turner, Cordula Hohnen-Behrens, Chang-Qiang Ke, Chun-Ping Tang, Tong Chen, Hans-Christoph Weiss, Ernst-Rudolf Gesing, Alex Rowland, David E. James, and Yang Ye (21 March 2008). "Antidiabetic Activities of Triterpenoids Isolated from Bitter Melon Associated with Activation of the AMPK Pathway". Chemistry & Biology 15 (3): 263–73. doi:10.1016/j.chembiol.2008.01.013. PMID 18355726.
"Ampalaya tablets out soon for diabetics". GMANews.TV. March 27, 2007. http://www.gmanews.tv/story/35962/Ampalaya-tablets-out-soon-for-diabetics. Retrieved August 12, 2010.
減重也可見效,一項研究發現持續攝取含苦瓜的飲食逾23周,體重平均減輕7公斤:
"My Microbiome and Me", Mara Hvistendahl, Science, vol. 336, page 1248-1250, 8 June 2012.
2011年的一篇研究還發現苦瓜可以保護心臟:
Gadang, V; Gilbert, W; Hettiararchchy, N; Horax, R; Katwa, L; Devareddy, L (2011). "Dietary bitter melon seed increases peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ gene expression in adipose tissue, down-regulates the nuclear factor-κB expression, and alleviates the symptoms associated with metabolic syndrome". Journal of medicinal food 14 (1–2): 86–93. doi:10.1089/jmf.2010.0010. PMID 21128828.
所以,吃「苦」既能護心,又能幫助糖尿病患者保健,還能減重以及預防癌症,真是不可多得的好東西!