PITTSBURGH, April 11 -- A University of Pittsburgh and Pittsburgh VA Medical Center team has provided new evidence that certain botanical products act like estrogen in animals. The findings indicate how these agents may work to relieve menopausal symptoms but suggest their potential danger for women who should not take estrogen. The scientists are reporting their findings April 11 at the annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research in Philadelphia.
"Of the plant products we examined, we found that vitex, dang gui, American ginseng and cohosh produced estrogen-like effects in animals," remarked Patricia Eagon, Ph.D., associate professor of medicine at the University of Pittsburgh and principal investigator on the study. "These findings confirm reports that these plants relieve menopausal symptoms, especially hot flashes. However, we still need to conduct further pre-clinical tests with these substances to study their long-term effects and to ensure that they are safe to use."
"Our results should signal a strong note of caution to women who want to relieve menopausal symptoms but who have a family or personal history of breast or uterine cancer," added Dr. Eagon. Estrogen is known to fuel the growth of these cancers.
Because the U.S. Food and Drug Administration does not regulate these botanical products, many women who should not take them could end up using them, remarked Dr. Eagon. Moreover, overuse of these remedies or impurities in the products can lead to liver problems and blood clotting disorders, she added.
The Pittsburgh research team found that extracts of vitex, dang gui, American
ginseng and cohosh bound directly to estrogen receptors, just as natural
estrogen would. The investigators next tested these compounds in rats whose
ovaries were removed so they could not produce significant levels of natural
estrogen. After 30 days of treatment, the researchers found that the uterus in
each rat grew heavier, an indic
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Contact: Lauren Ward
wardle@msx.upmc.edu
412-624-2607
University of Pittsburgh Medical Center
11-Apr-1999