Black Pepper & Prostate Cancer

Prostate cancer is one of the most common cancers in the United States. According to the Prostate Cancer Foundation, more than 190,000 American men were diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2009. Conventional prostate cancer treatment varies per patient but may include surgery, chemotherapy, radiation and hormone therapy. Researchers who study herbs and other alternative medications are currently investigating the effects of black pepper and cancer treatment. The fruit of black pepper contains a compound called piperine that may help in the fight against prostate cancer.

Prostate Cancer

• Prostate cancer grows as small tumors within the prostate gland. The cancerous cells in these tumors have no regulation and continue to grow and reproduce despite abnormalities. For most prostate cancer sufferers, the disease is slow-growing and contained to the prostate. A minority of patients experience a rapidly growing, aggressive cancer.

Prostate Survival

• The slow-growing form of prostate cancer is highly curable as long as it is caught before the cancer metastasizes. Unfortunately, the tumor's small size can limit detection. Once prostate cancer spreads beyond the prostate gland, the survival rates become much less optimistic. When it metastasizes, prostate cancer commonly spreads to the bones, seminal vesicles or lymph nodes near the prostate. Early detection is vital in treating this disease.

Piperine

• Piperine is an extract of black pepper and other long pepper plants of South India. According to Nutriline.org, a supplement reference site, piperine is an alkaloid that is responsible for the sensation of heat that is produced when peppers are consumed. Piperine was first isolated by a German scientist in the early 19th century. It is now commonly found as an ingredient in multivitamins and other nutritional supplements.

Piperine and Health

• Piperine on its own seems to have little effect on health. However, its benefits are found when it is consumed with a supplement. Each supplement allows for varying degrees of absorption. This means that only a percentage of the supplement is actually absorbed and used by the body. Taking piperine with a supplement helps to increase the amount of absorption in the gastrointestinal tract by 30 percent. For this reason, piperine may help to treat prostate cancer when combined with other cancer-fighting and antioxidant substances.

Piperine and Prostate Cancer

• Although research needs to be done regarding piperine and prostate cancer, there is evidence that piperine helps to fight other cancers. According to Life Extension, scientists at the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center found that when piperine is combined with curcumin, an anticancer extract of the turmeric herb, it stopped the growth of cancer-forming cells. High concentrations of the two extracts completely inhibited breast-cancer-forming stem cells. In time, research may indicate specific anticancer combinations with piperine to fight prostate cancer.