Ovarian cancer develops in a woman's ovary, the organ that releases eggs and produces female sex hormones. It begins as an ovarian tumor and may spread in later stages to other parts of the body, potentially causing serious, life-threatening illness. Noni juice is a traditional remedy that has natural anticancer activity and may help prevent or slow growth of ovarian cancer. Talk to your doctor about noni juice to decide if it might be helpful for you.
Causes and Risk Factors
Although the cause of ovarian cancer is still unknown, the release of eggs or the amount of male hormones in a woman's blood may be involved. Also, carcinogenic compounds might enter the pelvis through the vagina, causing changes in ovarian cells that result in cancer. Risk factors include being postmenopausal, overweight or obese, having not had children or having had children but not breast-fed them. Taking certain drugs, such as the fertility drug clomiphene citrate, using replacement estrogen after menopause or taking drugs derived from male hormones may also raise your risk. Finally, having a family history of ovarian, breast or colorectal cancer or having certain inherited genes such as BRCA1 and BRCA2 also increase your risk for ovarian cancer.
About Noni
The noni tree, or Morinda citrifolia, is also called hag apple, kura and Indian mulberry. It is native to Hawaii, Polynesia, Asia and Australia and produces tubular white flowers, followed by bumpy-surfaced fruits with yellow to white flesh with an unpleasant, cheese-like odor. Noni fruit has been part of traditional Asian and Polynesian medicine for thousands of years, recommended to treat infection, inflammation, tumors and diabetes. The fruit contains a large number of natural chemicals with medicinal potential. Many of these compounds are polyphenols with antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anticancer properties.
Properties and Evidence
Antioxidants in noni juice help destroy free radicals --- metabolic byproducts and environmental toxins that may damage cellular membranes and DNA, increasing the likelihood that normal cells might become cancerous. Noni also boosts your immune system by increasing the activity of immune cells that can engulf and destroy malignant cells. In addition, laboratory studies indicate that noni can directly interfere with growth of cultured cancer cells and cancerous tumors in laboratory animals. In a clinical study published in "Nutrition and Cancer" in 2009, 200 smokers who consumed noni juice for one month had reduced carcinogen-caused changes in their lung cell DNA. In a review of herbal therapy for cancer published in "European Journal of Cancer" in 2011, noni was listed as a remedy with potential as an effective anticancer agent. Although encouraging, these observations still need to be extended with clinical trials of noni and human subjects at risk for ovarian cancer.
Recommendations
Noni juice is available from specialty stores and health food stores, usually in sweetened form to counteract the natural bitterness of the fruit. Although generally considered safe, noni contains high levels of potassium and should not be consumed if you have kidney disease or are taking diuretics. Discuss its use in detail with your doctor before adding it to your routine.
References
- American Cancer Society: Ovarian Cancer Overview
- Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center: Noni
- Drugs.com: Noni
- "Nutrition and Cancer"; Morinda Citrifolia (Noni) Reduces Cancer Risk in Current Smokers by Decreasing Aromatic DNA Adducts; M. Wang, et al.; 2009
- "European Journal of Cancer"; Herbal Therapy Use by Cancer Patients: A Literature Review on Case Reports; O. Olaku and J. White; March 2011
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