Frequently Asked Questions
The following questions were answered by Dr. Ercole Cavalieri, Professor, Eppley Institute for Cancer Research and Allied Diseases at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, Nebraska:
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Why have you chosen to study the origin of cancer?
Every problem of human endeavor has an origin. Knowledge of the origin facilitates discovery of the solution. Determining the origin of cancer has been the objective of our research. Finding the origin of cancer has provided us with the knowledge to prevent cancer.
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What are the agents that can initiate cancer?
Cancer can originate from three types of agents: radiation, viruses and chemicals. An important type of radiation is ultraviolet (UV), but its power is limited to generating mutations only on the skin. Cancers of the skin are the most abundant, but their removal generally results in total recovery. Therefore, UV light is not considered a significant cancer initiator. Cancer can be induced, instead, by ionizing radiation, but people generally are not exposed to this type of radiation, except for nuclear explosions, such as at Hiroshima, Nagasaki and Chernobyl.
Viruses induce few types of human cancer in the Occidental world.
The major cancers, such as breast, prostate, pancreas, lung, melanoma, lymphoma, etc., are thought to be initiated by chemicals. In the past, it was thought that cancer-causing chemicals in our environment were responsible for many human cancers. After more than 50 years of study, it clearly appears that these cancer-causing chemicals do not exist in our environment in sufficient levels to induce the major human cancers. Therefore, the chemicals that initiate the major human cancers could be endogenous compounds. The estrogens have been proposed to be the responsible ones because they contain a benzene ring. Benzene is the parent compound of a branch of chemistry called aromatic chemistry, and it is classified as a cancer-causing chemical because it induces leukemia and non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
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Is it true that estrogens are important only for women?
Everybody thinks of estrogens as belonging just to women and androgens just to men. This concept is based on the concentration of estrogens or androgens in certain organs in the body. In truth, both estrogens and androgens are important hormones in both women and men.
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Why do you think estrogens can initiate cancer?
We have determined that the reactive metabolites of estrogens, called catechol estrogen quinones, react with DNA to form so-called estrogen-DNA adducts that are released from DNA, taking out one nucleic acid base (A or G). These gaps in DNA lead to the mutations that initiate cancer. Once released from DNA, the estrogen-DNA adducts travel out of cells and tissues into the bloodstream and eventually are excreted in urine. Therefore, the estrogen-DNA adducts can be analyzed in blood or urine. High levels of these estrogen-DNA adducts are found in women with breast cancer or at high risk for breast cancer, and in men with prostate cancer. The level of these estrogen-DNA adducts can be used to predict whether someone is at high risk for breast or prostate cancer.
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What happens if you block the initiation of cancer?
Since the initiating step in cancer derives from the reaction of specific estrogen metabolites with DNA, blocking the initiating step eliminates the following steps that lead to the development of cancer.
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Do you really think that estrogens are cancer-causing agents?
The chemical structure of estrogens contains one benzene ring, which can be converted to a metabolite that reacts with DNA. Nature has provided protective mechanisms to inhibit the formation of reactive estrogen metabolites with the scope of eliminating the initiation of cancer. Under these conditions, the estrogen metabolism is balanced. However, these protective mechanisms can be weakened during our lifetime by many factors, which include genetics, diet, lifestyle and environmental pollution. The decreased protection could lead to increased levels of estrogen metabolites that can react with DNA to initiate cancer. In this case, the estrogen metabolism becomes unbalanced. The strategy for preventing cancer initiation is to use specific compounds that increase the effectiveness of protective mechanisms, thereby eliminating the initiation of cancer.
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How could you prevent the initiation of cancer by estrogens?
Prevennia™ will increase the protective mechanisms that decrease the reaction of estrogen metabolites with DNA. This protection will diminish the risk of cancer initiation and development.
The following questions were answered by Dr. Eleanor Rogan, Professor, Eppley Institute for Research in Cancer and Allied Diseases at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, Nebraska:
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What was your strategy for discovering the origin of human cancer?
We have studied how chemicals initiate cancer for more than 35 years, and we have focused for the past 15 years on how estrogens initiate cancer.
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What has been your motivation for conducting this research?
Every day, cancer causes too much suffering for too many people. Our goal for many years has been to reduce as quickly as possible the number of people getting breast or prostate cancer. Now, we have the way to do this by having people take Prevennia™.
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What is the evidence that estrogens initiate breast cancer?
We have data from two different studies of women with and without breast cancer or at high risk for developing breast cancer. In both studies the levels of estrogen-DNA adducts were much higher in urine samples from women with breast cancer or at high risk for breast cancer than in urine samples from healthy women at normal risk for breast cancer. In the second study, similar differences were seen in blood samples taken from the same women. Finding high levels of estrogen-DNA adducts in urine and blood of women at high risk for breast cancer tells us that formation of the estrogen-DNA adducts is the initial step in the development of the cancer and that we could use these estrogen-DNA adducts as biomarkers for early diagnosis of breast cancer risk.
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What is the evidence that estrogens initiate prostate cancer?
We have data from two different studies of men with and without prostate cancer. In both studies the levels of estrogen-DNA adducts in urine samples from men with prostate cancer were much higher than the levels in samples from men without prostate cancer. Finding high levels of estrogen-DNA adducts in urine from men with prostate cancer suggests that formation of the estrogen-DNA adducts is the initial step in the development of the cancer and that we could use these estrogen-DNA adducts as biomarkers for early diagnosis of prostate cancer risk.
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How do you know that estrogen-DNA adducts are involved in changing breast cells into cancer cells?
Data from laboratory research show that when cultured human breast cells are treated with estrogens, the cells not only form estrogen-DNA adducts, but they are also transformed into cancer cells. The ingredients in Prevennia™ stop the formation of the estrogen-DNA adducts and transformation of the breast cells into cancer cells.
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What does Prevennia™ do?
We know precisely all of the different ways Prevennia™ acts to stop formation of estrogen-DNA adducts, thereby preventing the initiation of cancer.
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How will taking Prevennia™ make me healthier?
Taking Prevennia™ every day will help your body keep its metabolism of estrogens balanced, thus minimizing formation of estrogen-DNA adducts and the initiation of breast or prostate cancer.
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Is there any way to prevent other types of cancer?
We expect in the future to find that Prevennia™ helps prevent initiation of the prevalent types of human cancer.
The following are more frequently asked questions about Prevennia™:
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What does Prevennia mean?
Prevennia comes from the Latin word "prevenio" meaning "to anticipate" and "to attend." That's how Prevennia works - by anticipating and attending to estrogen metabolism before serious consequences may arise.
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What's in Prevennia?
Prevennia is all natural. It's a powerful and unique combination of four antioxidants: resveratrol, NAC (N-Acetyl-L-Cysteine), lipoic acid, and melatonin. They are natural compounds, and each one assists the body to naturally block the reaction of specific estrogen metabolites with DNA to form estrogen-DNA adducts in a slightly different way. The combination of the four antioxidants is more effective than each one by itself. You could buy each of these antioxidants yourself, but only the perfect balance in Prevennia blocks the initiation of breast cell mutations.
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What can Prevennia do for me?
Prevennia has been scientifically proven to block the initiation of breast cell mutations.
It is a natural, low-cost way to improve on your body's own ability to keep formation of estrogen-DNA adducts low. Scientific studies have proven that by keeping the level of estrogen-DNA adducts low you can protect your cells from mutating along with keeping your body’s estrogen metabolism in balance. Because it contains reservatrol, Prevennia also slows the aging process and boosts your metabolism!
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What are the side effects, if any?
There have been zero side effects to date. Prevennia is comprised of all natural compounds.
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How does cancer begin?
Cancer begins when DNA undergoes specific damage by a carcinogen, or cancer-causing agent. For example, a so-called "estrogen-DNA adduct" is formed. This DNA damage starts, or initiates, the series of events that leads to the development of cancer. Why have we focused on estrogens as cancer-causing agents, rather than other biochemicals in our body? The chemical benzene was found to cause leukemia a long time ago. Estrogens contain a benzene ring in their chemical structure. This inspired us to study how estrogens can become cancer-causing agents in our body.
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How does the body naturally resist estrogen-induced DNA damage?
One's body resists estrogen-induced DNA damage by naturally maintaining normal estrogen metabolism. DNA damage is increased when certain estrogen metabolites react with DNA. Prevennia assists the body in maintaining normal estrogen metabolism.
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How was Prevennia developed?
Prevennia was developed based on more than 35 years of research aimed at discovering the first step in the multi-step process that leads to cancer. This research demonstrated how cancer can begin and showed how estrogens may initiate breast, prostate and, perhaps, other prevalent human cancers. In recent years, this research evolved into studies of how to block the initiation of cancer.
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What does Prevennia contain?
Prevennia is a combination of four dietary supplements called antioxidants. They are natural compounds and each one assists the body to naturally block the reaction of specific estrogen metabolites with DNA to form estrogen-DNA adducts in a slightly different way. Thus, the combination of the four antioxidants is more effective than each one by itself.
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What does Prevennia offer you?
Prevennia offers you a natural, low-cost way to improve on your body's inherent ability to keep formation of estrogen-DNA adducts low. Scientific studies have shown that by keeping the level of estrogen-DNA adducts low, one can protect cells from mutations. We hope that someday almost everyone will take Prevennia, just as so many people take daily vitamins.
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How could Prevennia affect the health of Americans and the cost of healthcare?
We think that if a large portion of Americans take Prevennia regularly, their normal estrogen metabolism will be maintained and the mutations in breast cells may be reduced. If this happens, the cost of healthcare in the United States would decrease dramatically.
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Why does Prevennia work?
Recent studies at Harvard Medical School and the Institute of Genetics and Molecular Biology have shown that resveratrol may radically reduce the risk of heart disease and age-related illnesses. But only Prevennia combines resveratrol perfectly with three other antioxidants. And only Prevennia has been scientifically proven to reduce the initiation of breast cell mutations. Prevennia is a unique, exclusive patent-pending blend of powerful natural antioxidants: resveratrol, NAC (N-Acetyl-L Cysteine), lipoic acid, and melatonin. This powerful combination stabilizes estrogen metabolism and blocks the initiation of breast cell mutations.
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Does this Prevennia help fight cancer cells once they have started cell mutation in the breast?
According to one of our research scientists, Dr. Ercole Cavalieri from the Eppley Institute for Cancer Research at University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, Nebraska, Prevennia blocks the first step of cancer initiation, namely the reaction of estrogen with DNA. Once that cancer has developed, Prevennia cannot fight it. However, if cancer has developed once in a person, Prevennia could help prevent a second cancer from developing.