There is currently a nationwide study taking place referred to as SELECT (the selenium and vitamin E chemo prevention trial) to determine whether a combination of vitamin E and selenium can help reduce the incidence of abnormal cellular growth of the prostate. A study¹ was also conducted at the University of Wisconsin that was published in the November 2008 edition of the journal The Prostate evaluating the efficacy in a laboratory setting of these two new nutrients. It was found that vitamin E and selenium alone lead to a modest inhibition of the growth of abnormal cells of the prostate. However, when these two agents were utilized together, there was a dramatic increase in inhibition of growth of these abnormal cells. Additionally, it was found that the combination of these two nutrients lead to an induction of apoptosis (cell death).

One of the major theories currently being studied concerns abnormal cellular growth in the body, a condition known as angiogenesis. When abnormal cells develop in the body, one of the mechanisms as to how they grow and spread is through the growth of new blood vessels (called angiogenesis) supplying nutrients to these abnormal cells. Angiogenesis appears also to be important in chronic inflammation of the intestines. There was a study² published in the 2008 edition of the journal Gut in which researchers examined the effects of curcumin regarding the treatment of chronic inflammation, especially inflammation of the large intestine. They found that curcumin seems to have anti-angiogenic effects by altering and inhibiting certain enzymes in the body, especially COX-2. The authors concluded that curcumin possesses anti-angiogenic properties which warrant further investigation.

There was a wonderful review article³ published in Nutrition Review from November 2008 regarding alpha lipoic acid and elevated blood sugar. The article came out of the Laboratory of Atherosclerosis and Metabolic Research at the University of California and states that alpha lipoic acid has long been known as an essential co-factor in helping to drive energy production in the mitochondria. Alpha lipoic acid is an important antioxidant and has other diverse pharmacologic properties. The article indicates that it effectively mitigates toxicity associated with heavy metal poisoning and acts as a potent free radical scavenger, also increasing glutathione and vitamin C levels. The biosynthesis of alpha lipoic acid decreases as people age and is also reduced in people who have impaired health. It seems to have potential benefits in respect to glycemic control along with improved insulin sensitivity. It can help individuals with elevated blood sugars that have poor peripheral nerve function.

I am pleased to report that Vitacost.com now carries over 18,000 different SKUs on its website. With these tough economic times, people are increasingly turning to Vitacost as their one-stop shopping solution for not only vitamins and supplements, but also for household products, various foods and other health related products. Nutraceutical Sciences Institute® (NSI®) currently boasts almost 900 different SKUs. I think back to only a few years ago when we had literally only a few dozen products available. As our customers have requested various specific products and formulations, we have tried to deliver. We have over 800,000 active customers with an incredibly loyal following. Our Synergy line of products contains excellent doses of the best forms of selenium along with excellent doses of alpha lipoic acid and polyphenols, such as curcumin, red wine extract, resveratrol, green tea extract and others. We also sell many of these products as stand-alones or in combination with two or three other nutrients.

We at Vitacost/NSI wish you a happy and joyous holiday season.

1. Reagan-Shaw S, Nihal M, Ahsan H, Mukhtar H and Ahmad N, Combination of vitamin E and selenium causes an induction of apoptosis of human prostate cancer cells by enhancing Bax/Bcl-2 ratio, The Prostate, Volume 68 Issue 15, Pages 1624 – 1634.

2. Binion DG, Otterson MF and Rafiee P, Curcumin inhibits VEGF-mediated angiogenesis in human intestinal microvascular endothelial cells through COX-2 and MAPK inhibition, Gut, 2008;57:1509-1517.

3. Singh U and Jialal I, Alpha-lipoic acid supplementation and diabetes, Nutrition Reviews, Volume 66, Issue 11, Pages 646 – 657, Published Online: October 27, 2008.