In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Id like to tell you about limonene, another breast cancer-fighting nutrient.
Limonene is a compound found in citrus fruits, such as oranges and lemons. It can also be found in:
- Tomatoes,
- Cherries,
- Caraway,
- Dill,
- Bergamot, and
- Mint.
In addition to supporting glucuronidation, limonene also promotes healthy detoxification. Specifically, it has been shown to help prevent the development of breast cancer by stimulating detoxification enzymes in the liver.
In fact, research at the Department of Human Oncology at the University of Wisconsin has shown that limonene helps to prevent the mutation of normal cells into cancerous ones through all stages of cancer cell replication.
The first study to demonstrate limonenes anti-carcinogenic effect was conducted in 1971. Since that time, there have been follow-up studies demonstrating the same results. In fact, several rather remarkable animal studies have shown that limonene can bring advanced breast cancer growth to a halt.
A 1992 study published in Cancer Research tested these previous findings. Researchers set out to determine if limonene could reduce or regress breast cancer in rats. Researchers fed a limonene-rich diet to rats that had developed breast tumors. They found that the rats that were given this diet had significant tumor shrinkage as compared to the control group. However, when the limonene was discontinued, the tumors reappeared.
Additionally, researchers found that limonene inhibited the spread or metastasis of the cancer.
A 1993 study also published in Cancer Research followed up on these findings. In this study, researchers induced breast tumors in rats, then fed half the rats a limonene-rich diet. They found that 87 percent of the rats that were given the limonene diet had significant shrinkage of their tumors.
If you are interested in using limonene, Dr. Lark suggests you take 1,000 mg every other day. While it appears to be safe and without toxicity, women who are pregnant or nursing should not take limonene since no research has been performed which specifically examines its effect on fetal development.
For more information on reducing estrogen levels and other female hormone issues, visit Dr. Larks Web site.