Stem cell research is a widely debated and written about subject. Stem cells may have the potential to be used to treat certain, as yet, un-curable conditions such as Parkinson’s disease. These ‘undifferentiated’ stem cells have the ability to become specific specialised cells and perhaps grown to be used in treatments, since they are important for body tissue repair. There is a lot of controversy about stem cell study due to the use of embryos and other political and ethical issues related to the research protocols. For more detailed information about stem cells please visit the New Scientist website.
Interestingly, a small recent study (1) has found that giving adult individuals a specific nutritional supplement could stimulate the production of stem cells within the body.
The researchers used a commercially available supplement that contained: green tea, astralagus (a herb native to Northern China), goji berry extracts, the ‘friendly’ probiotic bacteria Lactobacillus fermentum, the antioxidant ellagic acid (found in pomegranates and raspberries), beta 1,3 glucan (found in the cells of yeast) and vitamin D. They found that the individuals taking the supplement has increased blood circulation of a specific kind of stem cell called a hematopietic stem cell (which can give rise to all blood cells) as well as other specific cells called endothelial progenitor cells which repair damage to blood vessels (1).
The research (1) involved 18 healthy adults aged between 20 and 72. The individuals stopped taking any other dietary supplements 4/5 days prior to beginning a 2 week course of the supplement being investigated. Two doses of the supplement were daily. Blood tests were taken from the participants before supplementation and then on 4 occasions during supplementation (on days 1,2,7 and 14). The blood was analysed to test for signs of stem cell activity. The fact that the two types of cell mentioned above, hematopoietic stem cells and endothelial progenitor cells, increased after taking the nutritional supplement is really very interesting as a basis for further research. The research also found that levels of these stem cells peaked at 2-7 days and then started to drop at 14 days which is good news since it suggests that the supplement could be used for long term, continuous treatment for specific conditions associated with drops in these stem cells. Some medical treatments can’t be used long term due to costs and health risks caused by the very high levels of stem cells that these medications tend to maintain in the blood (2).
In a press release(2) authors state “To our knowledge, this is the first study demonstrating profound mobilization effect with possible clinical significance by a food supplement-based approach,” “Indeed it may be possible that our supplement could be beneficial in conditions associated with reduced progenitor cells such as diabetes or in smokers which possess lower baseline values as compared to controls.” More research is definitely necessary before any kind of supplement could be used as a stem-cell producing aid. The authors mirror this by saying (2) “However, given commercial pressures associated with this largely unregulated field, we propose detailed scientific investigations must be made before disease-associated claims are made by the scientific community.”
This small preliminary study certainly paves the way for further larger trials looking into nutritional manipulation of stem cell production. It is not known whether any particular agent was more important than another in this particular supplement, or whether synergy between nutrients was responsible for the effect. The supplement used was rich in antioxidants as well as agents with immune boosting properties, there is still a lot of work to do to elucidate why and how the supplement might be working. It would also be exciting to see if dietary manipulation could produce similar results. This is certainly an exciting research area to keep an eye on.
(1)Mikirova NA et al. 2010. Nutraceutical augmentation of circulating endothelial progenitor cells and hematopoietic stem cells in human subjects. Journal of Translational Medicine. 8:34 (8 April 2010)
(2)Press release. BioMed Central (2010, April 7). Supplement your stem cells. ScienceDaily. Retrieved April 8, 2010, from http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/04/100407192446.htm
Written by Ani Kowal
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