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might be used to treat that particular cancer. Quercetin enhances the cytotoxic effects of many chemotherapeutic drugs, including Adriamycin and Cytoxan. It also potentiates the cytotoxicity of Adriamycin against Adriamycin-resistant human breast cancer cells. 102-105
Quercetin binds to type II estrogen-binding sites more effectively than the antiestrogen drug tamoxifen, which is used so often to treat and inhibit the recurrence of estrogen-positive breast cancer. Type II estrogen-binding sites differ from true estrogen-binding sites because their actual purpose is to bind an endogenous isoflavonoid, or ligand, that has growth-inhibitory rather than estrogen-binding activity. By securing these binding sites with weak plant estrogens, the true estrogens have nowhere to bind, which stops the promotion of cancer growth. Type II estrogen-binding sites are present in a variety of human cancers, including breast cancer and melanoma.106
Another mechanism by which quercetin shows its antitumor effects is by inhibiting the expression of certain gene mutations. Quercetin inhibits the mutation of the tumor-suppressor protein gene p53. The mutation, or defect, of this suppressor is involved in more than half of all cancer-cell lines including breast, ovarian, and prostate cancers.107
There is no supplement that I recommend more often than quercetin. There are claims that quercetin is poorly absorbed, but based on my years of clinical experience with this supplement, I choose to disagree. Taking quercetin with bromelain on an empty stomach thirty minutes before a meal results in a very high degree of bioavailability. I usually recommend between 1 and 3 grams per day in divided doses taken with vitamin C and bromelain.
Other Flavonoids
Apigenin is a nontoxic, nonmutagenic flavonoid found in certain vegetables. It has a significant potential for being a cancer-preventive agent. In one study it produced a 43 to 62 percent inhibition of mutagenicity and a 67 to 80 percent reduction of tumor-promotion activity. Apigenin also has a chemoprotective effect and has been shogun to be as effective as cromoglycate in inhibiting basophil histamine release. The flavonoids luteolin and amento-flavone exhibit an even higher inhibitory effect. Chamomile is a rich source of apigenin.108

 
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