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Acidophilus In Ovarian Cancer Treatment

Acidophilus has received a newfound following and if one may believe the television and radio advertising, it is the greatest thing since sliced bread. It did not take long for disreputable merchants to get their hands on this dietary supplement and use it for their own dishonest gain, claiming that it could cure anything from ovarian cancer to diabetes, and although there is absolutely no proof, there are researchers who are now taking a closer look at acidophilus in ovarian cancer treatment.

Simply put, acidophilus is little more than lactic acid bacteria and it is already present in your intestinal tract. When used in the dairy industry, it is known to turn milk into yogurt. Doctors have long known the healthful effects of eating yogurt and those who recently underwent a course of antibiotics or who are experiencing intestinal irregularities are usually counseled to increase their ingestion of plain yogurt so as to help repopulate the beneficial bacteria in the individual's digestive tract.

Some of the reasons why acidophilus looks like it might be a great complementary treatment or preventative measure for ovarian cancer have to do with the fact that it reduces the amount of cholesterol in the blood, which is directly utilized as a food source for cancer cells. There is no conclusive study that suggest acidophilus can prevent or cure ovarian cancer; at the same time, in laboratory testing involving cancerous cells removed from patients have been shown to slow their growth when acted upon by the lactic acid. This held true particularly for cells from the colon and the breast tissues.

While this looks like a promising development for patients suffering from colon cancer and also breast cancer, further studies appear to indicate that other tumors affected directly by hormonal balancing problems - of which ovarian cancer ranks first and foremost - are not at all affected by the bacteria. Hence, supplementation with acidophilus may not be useful when it comes to prevention. Even for those undergoing ovarian cancer treatments the use of lactic acid is not always indicated.

There have been cases where acidophilus was found to be at the source for an infection that could not be warded off because the patient's immune system was weakened. This occurs frequently with chemotherapy and it is essential to not only discuss the use of lactic acid with the treating physician but to find a high quality supplement when choosing it as a dietary supplement.

Perhaps the best bit of advice for those suffering from ovarian cancer or undergoing various treatments for the disease would be to discuss any and all dietary changes as well as supplementation with the physician prior to doing so. Although by and large not dangerous, there are some dietary supplements that might need to be avoided to further the treatment. In the same vein, because the immune system will most likely be compromised by some of the treatments, extreme caution with respect to food and supplement sources must be exercised to prevent any illnesses or diseases that might further tax the body.