A peer-reviewed study published in BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine demonstrated that the dietary supplement BreastDefend inhibits the growth and proliferation of human breast cancer cells. This is the fourth study to show the effects of BreastDefend—a botanical-nutrient formula—against human breast cancer growth and metastasis.

Performed at the Cancer Research Laboratory, Indiana University Health, this study highlights the ability of BreastDefend to boost the effects of the hormone therapy drug, tamoxifen, against estrogen receptor (ER)-positive breast cancer. As a leading integrative medical news platform, Better Health Publishing works with research institutes worldwide to announce important data highlighting botanical and nutritional adjuncts in the treatment of chronic conditions.

This study, titled “BreastDefend enhances the effect of tamoxifen in estrogen receptor-positive human breast cancer cells in vitro and in vivo,” tested tamoxifen and the formula alone, and in combination against human breast cancer cell line, MCF-7. Alone, BreastDefend worked as well as tamoxifen against MCF-7 cancer cells. Together, the combination significantly inhibited cancer proliferation and increased cancer cell death, by modulating the expression of genes associated with specific cancer mechanisms.

Additionally, the ER-positive cells were implanted into the mammary pads of mice and tumor growth was induced with estradiol. This in vivo analysis demonstrated that BreastDefend significantly augmented the effects of tamoxifen, resulting in suppression of tumor growth, size and weight in the xenograft model.

“These findings support the potential of BreastDefend as an adjuvant in conjunction with tamoxifen against breast cancer. The genetic mechanisms for these effects were shown in the cancer cells in vitro, and in the tumors in vivo,” concludes principle investigator, Dan Sliva, PhD.

BreastDefend is a combination of a bioavailable form of turmeric extract; diindolylmethane (DIM)—an active phytonutrient of cruciferous vegetables; extracts of the herbs Astragalus membranaceus and Scutellariabarbata; the bioflavonoid quercetin; and several species of botanically-grown medicinal mushrooms.

The formula has been shown in three previous pre-clinical studies to suppress the growth and metastasis of highly aggressive triple negative human breast cancer cells, through downregulation of specific genes. This is the first study to indicate the formula’s ability to enhance conventional breast cancer treatment when used in conjunction with the hormone therapy drug, tamoxifen.