PROSTATE CANCER STUDIES

Quercetin, a plant-based nutrient found most abundantly in apples may provide a new method for preventing or treating prostate cancer.

Mayo Clinic researchers found in a laboratory study that quercetin reduced or prevented the growth of human prostate cancer cells by blocking activity of androgen hormones. Previous studies had linked androgens to prostate cancer's growth and development.

The Mayo Clinic research is hopeful news in the battle against prostate cancer, a serious threat to male health.

Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men and the second leading cause of cancer death in men in the U.S., behind only lung cancer, according to the American Cancer Society. (Source: Carcinogenesis, 2001, 22: 409-414)