Study: Milk Thistle May Inhibit Development of Colon Cancer

Japanese researchers report that the antioxidant silymarin, derived from seeds of the milk thistle plant, significantly inhibited the development of colon cancer in rodents.

The researchers from Kanazawa Medical University reported in the International Journal of Cancer on studies they conducted of both the short-term and long-term effects of dietary silymarin on colon cancer.

Milk thistle seed has been used since the Middle Ages to treat liver problems and a variety of other conditions.

In the short-term study, the researchers said dietary administration of silymarin for four weeks caused significant reduction in the frequency of the development of precancerous colonic lesions.

In the longer study, the researchers said the silymarin reduced the incidence and multiplicity of colonic cancers in the rodents.

"These results clearly indicate a chemopreventive ability of dietary silymarin against chemically induced colon tumorigenesis and will provide a scientific basis for progression to clinical trials of the chemoprevention of human colon cancer," the researchers concluded.

Other Sources: International Journal of Cancer