May 10, 2007 – Black cohosh may not only relieve symptoms associated with menopause, but also help reduce the risk of getting breast cancer.
This is what the results of a study indicate1 conducted in the United States with 949 women who had breast cancer and 1,524 healthy control subjects. Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania report that women who took black cohosh had an approximately 60% lower risk of developing breast cancer, compared to those who did not.
The authors of the study are cautious and believe that much more research is needed before knowing whether black cohosh could be a preventive agent for breast cancer.
The results of various studies have indicated that black cohosh has an antiproliferative action on cancer cells and that it has anti-estrogenic and antioxidant effects. Faced with the decline in the popularity of hormone therapy, many postmenopausal women resort to black cohosh.
In 2002 a US study concluded that hormone replacement was linked to an increased incidence of breast cancer. Recently, researchers linked the drop in breast cancer cases in 2003 to a decrease in the use of hormone therapy.2.
Pierre Lefrançois – PasseportSanté.net
According to Reuters Health.
1. Rebbeck TR, Troxel AB, et al. A retrospective case-control study of the use of hormone-related supplements and association with breast cancer. Int J Cancer. 2007 Apr 1; 120 (7): 1523-8.
2. Ravdin PM, Cronin KA, et al. The decrease in breast-cancer incidence in 2003 in the United States. N Engl J Med. 2007 Apr 19; 356 (16): 1670-4.
