What does Calcium D-glucarate do?
Calcium D-glucarate is the calcium salt of
D-glucaric acid, a natural substance found in many fruits and vegetables.
Calcium D-glucarate has been shown to inhibit beta-glucuronidase, an enzyme found in
certain bacteria that reside in the gut. One of the key ways in which the body eliminates
toxic chemicals as well as hormones such as
estrogen is by attaching glucuronic acid to them in the liver and then excreting this
complex in the bile. Beta-glucuronidase is a bacterial enzyme that uncouples (breaks) the bond
between the excreted compound and glucuronic acid. When beta-glucuronidase breaks the bond,
the hormone or toxic chemical that is released is available to be reabsorbed into the body
instead of being excreted. An elevated beta-glucuronidase activity is associated with an
increased risk for various cancers,
particularly hormone-dependent cancers like
breast, prostate, and colon cancers.1
Studies in animals have shown that supplementing with calcium D-glucarate prevents the
development of experimentally induced cancers.2 3 4
5 The amount of calcium D-glucarate used in these studies, however, would be too much
for humans to take. Researchers at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Memorial Sloan-Kettering
Cancer Center, and other major cancer centers began conducting research with calcium
D-glucarate for the prevention and treatment of breast cancer.6 7 No
human studies showing the efficacy or safety of calcium D-glucarate have been published.
Read more on Calcium D-glucarate >
View References
|