# A natural and optional cause of cancer...



## element_fighter (Jan 15, 2008)

To me this is quite worrying as i do alot of training and supplement regularly to keep my body up with the enforced torture, thankfully i always research my supplements before and use trusted brands like maximuscle, but still....

"'Natural' supplements caused cancer in two men

Two men seeking to boost sexual performance and grow bigger muscles instead ended up with advanced prostate cancer after taking "herbal" supplements, U.S. doctors reported on Tuesday.

They said many supplements marketed as "safe" and "natural" could contain unknown and potentially dangerous ingredients, and noted that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has little authority to regulate them.

"Physicians need to ask their patients not only about the prescription drugs they may be taking, but -- perhaps even more importantly -- about the over-the-counter drugs and supplements, which may have a profound impact on certain health conditions," Dr. Claus Roehrborn, chairman of urology at the University of Texas Southwestern medical school, said in a statement.

Roehrborn's team became concerned about what they call herbal/hormonal dietary supplements, or HHDSs, after two men developed aggressive and incurable prostate cancer within months of taking the same supplement.

They analysed the product, which they did not name for legal reasons, and found it contained two hormones -- testosterone and estradiol. When they tested it on tumour cells in the lab, they found it fuelled the growth of prostate cancer cells more potently than testosterone alone, they reported in the journal Clinical Cancer Research.

"We filed an adverse event report with the FDA who issued a warning letter. The manufacturer responded by removing this HHDS product from the market," the researchers wrote.

"Individuals use HHDS for self-improvement, failure or distrust of conventional medicine, and because they believe that, these natural products are safe and drug-free," they wrote.

The researchers searched Web sites promoting such products and found they promised "'fountain of youth,' maintenance of a 'youthful' heart, relief of stress, and improvements in mood disturbances, stamina, energy, strength and virility." "


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## God Hand (Jan 15, 2008)

Man thats scary.  
Like they said, I wouldnt think over the counter supplements could do something like that.  I assumed most of those "herbal/natural" pills were just that.  Glad Im not taking anything.


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## Pilaf (Jan 15, 2008)

People who try to use supplements to gain more muscle disgust me.

Pump harder, assholes. You get what you fucking work for.


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## element_fighter (Jan 15, 2008)

Pilaf said:


> People who try to use supplements to gain more muscle disgust me.
> 
> Pump harder, assholes. You get what you fucking work for.



Uhhhh, you do realise that supplements don't just include steroids and other such hormone inducing/enhancing drugs right?  The supplements i take are protein powders to ensure i get enough of the building blocks to build muscle, ZMA which is a zinc/magnesium supplement to replenish what i use as well as a glucosamine/ Chrondroitin supplement so that my joints are healthy.  Sorry if this seems defensive but i work darn hard, and so do most of the weightlifters out there, to make gains naturally.  But you need to look after your body's stocks, we use more than most and despite a well balanced diet it is often lacking.


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## neko-sennin (Jan 15, 2008)

2 words: _Caveat Emptor_.

If it makes no medical claims, the FDA doesn't necessarily have to test anything. Know what you're buying, because advertisers don't care jack shit about your health, as long as you keep handing them money.


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## Purgatory (Jan 15, 2008)

If it says "Herbal", it most likely isn't. Oddly enough, this reminds me of Kevin Trudeau and his book on natural cures.


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## zornedge (Jan 15, 2008)

element_fighter said:


> Uhhhh, you do realise that supplements don't just include steroids and other such hormone inducing/enhancing drugs right?  The supplements i take are protein powders to ensure i get enough of the building blocks to build muscle, ZMA which is a zinc/magnesium supplement to replenish what i use as well as a glucosamine/ Chrondroitin supplement so that my joints are healthy.  Sorry if this seems defensive but i work darn hard, and so do most of the weightlifters out there, to make gains naturally.  But you need to look after your body's stocks, we use more than most and despite a well balanced diet it is often lacking.



A lot of educated people do realize that, but some people just don't like to ingest foreign substances when we could obtain them naturally.  Also, none of them are FDA insured if I understand this correctly.  I did research a bit on melatonin, tried it once or twice, and didn't touch it again after I learned the FDA hadn't approved it (and did not plan to, really). 

Also, when I read up on melatonin (wonder sleeping inducer), I found out one ingredient was cow vomit.  That was definitely a deterrent for me.    Again, I do not know if this is true, but my stance is largely to avoid supplements that you could otherwise obtain naturally.  Or in this sleeping depriving case of mine, I just naturally got over it.


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## Jaga (Jan 15, 2008)

that sucks for them... i'd never take anything to make me stronger or anything...

the i only thing i take are the Flintstones vitamins since i don't eat all my veggies..lol...good stuff


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## iDrum (Jan 15, 2008)

I wonder how old these men were? I know that men should generally worrying about prostate health in their forties, but if they were younger than that there is definitely cause for concern.


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## Jarl lKarl (Jan 15, 2008)

Honest question: who didn't already know this? All natural means is that a certain very loose set of parameters have to be met in the manufacture of a product. Interesting fact; a chemical can be categorized as both a natural _and_ a synthetic substance, regardless of chemical structure. All that matters is how it's derived. The same shit gets into your body either way.

God, people are suckers.


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## element_fighter (Jan 15, 2008)

Zornedge.  My endocrine professor and his collegue did a great deal of research on melatonin, and in fact his collegue has been taking it since 30 years of age.  He looks 40, and is mid 60's.  Melatonin levels drop dramaticlly late 20 onwards.  It's not really needed until then.  Um the vomit thing, not sure thats true.  My idea of things is to allways read around, check out articles in respected journals.   I'm not botherd if it's "naturally" sorced or not, it's wether the contents of that product have evidence based/trial based effects.  positive or negative,  that decide it for me


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## Aldrick (Jan 15, 2008)

Homeopathy is lies.


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## The Space Cowboy (Jan 15, 2008)

Cancer is all-natural

Actually if some touts that their product is all natural, alarm bells should go off in your head immediately.  Technically speaking Mercury is all-natural too, but that doesn't mean it's good for you.

Furthermore the claims made by purveyors of nutritional supplements are not legally subject to the scientific scrutiny like the claims pharmaceutical companies make.  Homeopaths are masters of Bullshit no jutsu and will gladly take your money.  Caveat Emptor.


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