A possible side effect of Chondroitin sulfate
Chondroitin Sulfate and Prostate Cancer
The husband of a friend of mine has cancer of the prostate. He belongs to a support group whose purpose is to educate and inform its membership of research related prostate cancer. In their newsletter, this support group reported on a presentation made at one of their meetings by Dr. Charles E. Myers, Jr., M.D. He spoke about studies linking chondroitin sulfate to the spread of prostate cancer.
I went on the internet and found a number of websites that addressed the issue. What I found was the following story. Some years ago, Dr. Myers was treating a prostate cancer patient who was making good progress at the time that Dr. Myers examined him in July of that year. But by October of that same year, the patient’s cancer had exploded and spread widely. What could have caused such a dramatic change in so short a time? One month after the July examination, the patient had started taking chondroitin sulfate for his arthritis.
Dr. Myers found evidence to support the hypothesis that it was the chondroitin sulfate that had made his patient’s prostate cancer grow and spread to other sites. A number of clinical studies have reported a link between chondroitin sulfate and the spread of prostate cancer. In one of these, the concentration of chondroitin sulfate was found to be increased in the prostate tissue of men with early-stage prostate cancer compared with prostate tissue from men without cancer. In another study, higher concentrations of chondroitin sulfate in the tissue surrounding a cancerous prostate tumor predicted a higher rate of recurrence of the cancer after surgery: in men with a high concentration of chondroitin sulfate surrounding the cancer, 47 percent had recurrence within five years compared with only 14 percent in men with low concentrations. I found four other studies linking chondroitin sulfate and prostate cancer.
However, correlation does not mean causation. In those studies, the cancer could have caused the higher concentration of chondroitin sulfate rather than the chondroitin sulfate causing the cancer. Therefore, these studies do not prove a cause and effect relationship between chondroitin sulfate and prostate cancer. Furthermore, no studies to date have addressed the question of whether taking chondroitin sulfate supplements could promote the development of prostate cancer. However, Dr. Myers recommends that men with prostate cancer avoid chondroitin sulfate until clinical trials can demonstrate its safety.
Is There A Link Between Glucosamine Sulfate And Cancer?
According to Dr. Myers, there is no evidence that glucosamine sulfate fosters the progression of prostate cancer. He therefore recommends it for his patients who have arthritis. I have found no such evidence either. In fact, I have found no evidence that glucosamine sulfate fosters breast cancer or any other cancer. Fortunately, glucosamine sulfate works independently, and the addition of chondroitin sulfate is not required for a therapeutic effect. Furthermore, glucosamine sulfate is not just a pain reliever, but seems to have a healing effect as well. A randomized clinical trial in 2001 showed that glucosamine sulfate preserves the thickness of joint cartilage in human subjects, thus slowing the progression of osteoarthritis.
Besides glucosamine, there is another natural alternative for arthritis pain. That alternative is MSM or methyl sulfonylurea methane. MSM will be the subject of next week’s article.
Chondroitin Sulfate And Breast Cancer
If chondroitin sulfate is linked to prostate cancer, the question naturally arises as to whether it is linked to other cancers as well. The answer is yes. I found studies showing a link between chondroitin sulfate and breast cancer similar to the link between chondroitin sulfate and prostate cancer. In one of these studies, chondroitin sulfate was found to be abundant in breast cancers and to form an environment favorable for the growth and migration of malignant cells. In a second study, the chondroitin sulfate content in the tissue surrounding a cancerous breast tumor was significantly greater than in clinically uninvolved tissue. A third study compared the tissue in cancerous breasts with the tissue in non-cancerous breasts. There was an increase in chondroitin sulfate in the tissue of the cancerous breasts compared to the tissue in the non-cancerous breasts: the chondroitin sulfate content in cancerous tumors was 63 percent compared to 35 percent in breast tissue with benign lesions.
The last study I will describe involved women whose breast cancer had not spread to the lymph nodes. The relapse rate in these patients with high versican levels was greater than in patients with low versican levels. Versican is a chondroitin sulfate-containing protein. I found four other studies with similar results. As with the studies on chondroitin sulfate and prostate cancer, these studies on chondroitin sulfate and breast cancer do not prove a cause and effect relationship. And again, no studies have been done to address the question of whether chondroitin sulfate supplements could promote the development of breast cancer.
Mary Lou Williams, M. Ed., is a lecturer and writer in the field of nutrition. She welcomes inquiries. She can be reached at 239 267-6480.