IP-6: this potent antioxidant can help your body fend off cancer and heart disease

This potent antioxidant can help your body fend off cancer and heart disease.

WHAT IT IS

Inositol hexaphosphate acid (IP-6), also known as phytic acid, is a powerful antioxidant that's naturally present in whole grains and high-fiber foods.

HEALTH CLAIMS

In the past decade, IP-6 has gained a popular reputation as a cancer fighter. Many experts also believe it can prevent and treat heart disease, kidney stones, and liver disease.

HOW IT WORKS

Although the exact mechanism is not yet known, IP-6 inhibits the production and activity of cancer-causing free radicals and slows the abnormal rate of cell division that defines cancer and tumor growth, allowing cells to normalize and grow once again in a controlled manner. IP-6 also enhances the body's ability to kill existing tumor cells by boosting the activity of the immune system's natural killer cells, called lymphocytes.

IP-6 protects the heart by reducing cholesterol and triglycerides (fatty acids that circulate through the bloodstream) as well as by preventing blood clots, a major cause of heart attack.

It prevents and treats kidney stones by slowing the formation and growth of the kidney stone's nucleus.

And it protects the liver by preventing the accumulation of fatty deposits in the liver, also known as cirrhosis.

THE EVIDENCE

According to IP-6 research pioneer Abulkalam M. Shamsuddin, M.D., Ph.D., study results have shown visible signs of tumor regression in people taking 8 g of IP-6 (in combination with simple inositol) daily for 3 to 4 weeks. One study published last year in the journal Anticancer Research found that after two weeks the tumors of mice treated three times a week with IP-6 were 96 percent smaller than the tumors of mice that did not receive IP-6. And epidemiological studies have shown that populations with diets high in IP-6 have a lower incidence of cancer of the colon, breast, and prostate.

A University of Maryland study found that IP-6 reduces platelet activity (blood clotting, which can lead to heart disease or stroke by inhibiting blood flow) by 45 percent. A study published in The New England Journal of Medicine found that 8.8 grams of IP-6 a day reduced urinary calcium levels in men at high risk of kidney stones, preventing further stone growth in 80 percent of test subjects during two years of treatment. A 1995 Japanese study found that IP-6 reduced fatty deposits in the liver, a major risk factor for liver disease.

HOW TO TAKE IT

Shamsuddin recommends that people without a history of cancer consume about 2 grams of IP-6 per day (the equivalent of about 1 1/2 cups of fresh corn). Those in a higher risk category should get 2 to 3 times that amount. And people with existing cancer need to consume about 5 to 8 g daily to reap the disease-reversing benefits. Ideally, says Shamsuddin, you should take IP-6 supplements in two doses per day, preferably between meals. He adds, however, that you should always consult a physician before taking IP-6.

CAUTIONS

Supplemental forms of IP-6 have been found to interfere with the body's absorption of minerals. Most experts caution that before deciding to pop an IP-6 supplement, you should first try to incorporate IP-6-rich foods to your diet, which will not significantly interfere with mineral absorption. If you do decide to supplement, do not take IP-6 within one hour of meals.

Dietary Sources

IT'S EASY TO GET IP-6 from food.

Good sources include:

BEANS (1/2 CUP)                    250 mg
BROWN RICE (1/2 CUP UNCOOKED)      220 mg
CORNBREAD (3 1/2 OUNCES)           130 mg
CORN, WHOLE KERNEL(1/2 CUP)        650 mg
SESAME SEEDS (3/4 CUP)             530 mg
WHEAT BRAN (1 3/4 cups)            460 mg

Angela Pirisi is a freelance writer living in Toronto.

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