(NUISM) - A new link between nutrition and cancer has been discovered: Whole grain cereals, such as rice, oats, wheat and corn, as well as legumes, contain a natural anticancer agent known as IP-6 (inositol hexaphosphate). IP-6 combined with inositol has been shown in more than 25 scientific tests to prevent the growth of new tumors and shrink existing tumors.

With the American Cancer Society estimating that more than 1,500 Americans die from cancer each day, a possible alternative to invasive surgery, radiation and chemotherapy is a welcome scientific development. Before stocking up on rice and oatmeal, however, scientists warn that it is impossible to eat enough whole grains each day to achieve the cancer-fighting effects that have been observed in the laboratory. Instead, researchers have developed a dietary supplement containing IP-6 with inositol, which is available in health food stores and pharmacies across the country to both treat and prevent cancer. Unlike anticancer drugs, IP-6 with inositol does not kill cancer cells; it effectively inhibits the cancer by making the cancer cells behave and grow more like normal, healthy cells.

IP-6 with inositol is an antioxidant which suppresses the body's production of free radicals and inhibits the process of lipid peroxidation-two functions that have been shown to damage cells and cause or promote cancer.

According to AbulKalam M. Shamsuddin, M.D., Ph.D., professor of pathology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore, "Evidence based on epidemiological studies shows that populations with diets high in IP-6 with inositol have a lower incidence of cancer of the colon, breast and prostate." IP-6 with inositol has also been shown to be effective in lowering the cholesterol and lipid levels in the blood, and is beneficial in the treatment and prevention of kidney stones, cardiovascular disease and liver disease.

Dr. Shamsuddin, who has studied IP-6 with inositol for the last 15 years, recently conducted laboratory research funded in part by the American Institute for Cancer Research to determine effective dosages and safety of IP-6 with inositol. The study revealed no significant toxic effect from long-term administration of IP-6 with inositol. Human trials are expected to begin as soon as appropriate funding has been granted.