IP-6, Source Naturals, 90 Tablets


IP6 - Inositol Hexaphosphate
Supports Breast, Colon & Prostate Cells

IP-6 (inositol hexaphosphate) is a component of certain dietary fibers, particularly most cereal grains, legumes, and seeds high in oil. Many researchers believe that some of fiber's health benefits may be due to the antioxidant, immune enhancing, and cardiovascular supporting activities of IP-6. In-vitro and animal research has shown IP-6 to have significant protective and growth regulating effects on various cells and tissues including those of the colon, breast, and prostate.

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IP6 Supplement Facts:
IP-6 (as calcium and magnesium inositol hexaphosphate)
Calcium (as calcium inositol Hexaphosphate)
Magnesium (as magnesium inositol hexaphosphate)

Suggested Use: Take 1 IP6 tablet daily or as recommended by your health care professional.
* IP6 daily value not established.

IP-6 and Cancer
IP-6 has been reported to have in vivo and in vitro anti- cancer activity against numerous tumors, such as colon cancer, prostate cancer, breast cancer, liver cancer, chronic myeloid leukemia, pancreatic cancer, and rhabdomyosarcomas. Significant human trials are lacking and hence we do not currently know for certain whether taking IP-6 supplements are helpful in cancer prevention or therapy, but the early data look promising.

IP6 and Breast Cancer
IP6 inhibits the growth of breast cancer cells; but it also acts synergistically with adriamycin or tamoxifen, being particularly effective against estrogen responsive alpha-negative cells and adriamycin-resistant cell lines.

IP-6 and kidney stones
Dietary phytate is helpful in inhibiting crystallization of calcium salts in the urine and consequently may reduce the risk of kidney stone development. Does ingesting an IP-6 supplement help reduce the risk for kidney stones? As of October 2007, I have not come across such human research.

IP6 Mechanism of Action
In addition to reducing cell proliferation, IP6 increases differentiation of malignant cells, often resulting in a reversion to normal phenotype. Orally administered IP6 is rapidly taken into the cells and dephosphorylated to lower-phosphate inositol phosphates, which further interfere with signal transduction pathways and cell cycle arrest. Enhanced immunity and antioxidant properties can also contribute to tumor cell destruction. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying this anticancer action are not fully understood. Because it is abundantly present in regular diet, efficiently absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract, and safe, IP6 holds great promise in strategies for the prevention and treatment of cancer. IP6 enhances the anticancer effect of conventional chemotherapy, controls cancer metastases, and improves the quality of life.
     IP6 inhibits human platelet aggregation in vitro.

Metabolism of IP6
IP6 is rapidly absorbed by rats in vivo. There is a presence of inositol and IP1-6 in gastric epithelial cells as early as within 1 h of intragastric 3H- IP6 administration. The metabolized IP6, in the form of inositol and IP1 is transported via plasma and reaches distant organs as well as tumors. In rats, the urinary metabolites of IP6 are inositol and IP1. However, in humans 1-3% of total administered IP6 is excreted in the urine as IP6. Investigations of the uptake and metabolism by a variety of cancer cell lines in vitro also demonstrate an instantaneous absorption of IP6. The rate and pattern at which IP6 is metabolized by cancer cells varies depending on the cell type. Intracellular inositols accumulated mostly (80-97%) in the cytosol as inositol and IP1-6. IP6 treatment of all the cell lines tested so far demonstrates that it is cytostatic and not cytotoxic. Along with inhibition of cell proliferation, there is enhanced differentiation of malignant cells to a more mature phenotype, often resulting in reversion to normal. The actions of IP6 involve signal transduction pathways, cell cycle regulatory genes, differentiation genes, oncogenes and perhaps, tumor suppressor genes.

Phytin
A calcium-magnesium salt form of inositol hexaphosphate is called phytin. Phytin can be found in sesame seeds and certain other seeds, cereal grains, beans, and soy.

IP-6 Research Update
Inositol hexaphosphate ( IP6 ): a novel treatment for pancreatic cancer.
J Surg Res. 2005 Jun 15;126(2):199-203. Somasundar P, Riggs DR, Jackson BJ, Cunningham C, Vona-Davis L, McFadden DW. Louis A. Johnson VA Medical Center, Clarksburg, West Virginia; Department of Surgery, West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia, USA.
Inositol hexaphosphate (IP6) is a naturally occurring polyphosphorylated carbohydrate found in food sources high in fiber content. IP6 has been reported to have significant inhibitory effects against a variety of primary tumors including breast and colon. The effects of IP6 have not been evaluated in pancreatic cancer. We hypothesized that IP6 would significantly inhibit cell growth and increase the apoptotic rate of pancreatic cancer in vitro. CONCLUSIONS: Treatment of pancreatic cancer with the common dietary polyphosphorylated carbohydrate IP6 significantly decreased cellular growth and increased apoptosis. Our findings suggest that IP6 has the potential to become an effective adjunct for pancreatic cancer treatment. Further in vivo and human studies are needed to evaluate safety and clinical utility of this agent in patients with pancreatic cancer.

Prostate cancer and inositol hexaphosphate IP6 : efficacy and mechanisms.
Anticancer Res. 2005 Jul-Aug;25(4):2891-903. Singh RP, Agarwal R.
Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy, University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, Denver, CO 80262, USA.
Inositol hexaphosphate ( IP6 ) is a major constituent of most cereals, legumes, nuts, oil seeds and soybean. Taken orally as an over-the-counter dietary/nutrient supplement, and is recognised as offering several health benefits without any known toxicity. In vitro anticancer efficacy of IP6 has been observed in many human, mouse and rat prostate cancer cells. Completed studies also show that oral feeding of IP6 inhibits human prostate cancer xenograft growth in nude mice without toxicity. In a recently completed pilot study, we observed similar preventive effects of IP6 on prostate tumorigenesis in the TRAMP model. Mechanistic studies indicate that IP6 targets mitogenic and survival signaling, as well as cell cycle progression, in prostate cancer cells. IP6 is also shown to target molecular events associated with angiogenesis. Moreover, IP6 has pleiotropic molecular targets for its overall efficacy against prostate cancer and, therefore, could be a suitable candidate agent for preventive intervention of this malignancy in humans.

Novel anticancer function of inositol hexaphosphate IP6 : inhibition of human rhabdomyosarcoma in vitro and in vivo.
Anticancer Res. 1998 May-Jun;18(3A):1377-84.
Inositol hexaphosphate ( IP6 ) is a naturally occurring polyphosphorylated carbohydrate that has been shown to suppress the growth of epithelial cancers, including those of breast and colon. The objective of this study was to investigate whether IP6 inhibits growth of rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS), a tumor of mesenchymal origin, which is the most common soft tissue sarcoma in children. We performed both in vitro and in vivo studies to evaluate the effect of IP6 on human RD cells growth. Our results show that IP6 suppresses growth of rhabdomyosarcoma cell line (RD) in vitro in a dose-dependent fashion. However, the removal of IP6 from the media, after 72 hours of treatment, allowed cells to recover their logarithmic growth. Exposure of RD cells to IP6 led to differentiation; cells became larger with abundant cytoplasm, expressing higher levels of muscle-specific actin. Consistent with in vitro observation, IP6 suppressed RD cell growth in vivo, in a xenografted nude mice model. When compared to controls, IP6-treated mice produced a 25 fold smaller tumors (p = 0.008), as observed after a two weeks treatment. In a second experiment, wherein the treatment period was extended to five weeks, a 49 fold reduction in tumor size was observed in mice treated with IP6. Histologically no evidence of tumor cell necrosis was observed. These data suggest a potential usefulness of this cytostatic, and non-cytotoxic, compound in novel therapeutic strategies for these types of tumor.

Anti-HIV-1 activity of myo-inositol hexaphosphoric acid ( IP6 ) and myo-inositol hexasulfate(IS6).
Anticancer Res. 1999 Sep-Oct;19(5A):3723-6.
It is known that polysulfates have some anti-HIV-1 activity. We investigated the anti-HIV-1 activity of myo-inositol hexaphosphoric acid ( IP6 ) and myo-inositol hexasulfate( IS6 ), low molecular weight carbohydrates. IP6 and IS6 inhibited the replication of HIV-1 in a T cell line as well as that of a freshly isolated strain in peripheral blood mononuclear cells. Neither substance inhibited HIV-1-induced giant cell formation, but addition of IS6 when infecting cells with HIV-1 inhibited the replication of HIV-1. Neither substance inhibited HIV-1 reverse transcriptase activity in vitro and no influence on late stage replication was noted. Although the mechanisms of IP6 and IS6 action remain unclear, it can be speculated that they act on HIV-1 early replicative stage. Although it is not possible to develop IP6 and IS6 themselves as anti-AIDS drugs, studies of these anti-HIV agents might be expected to provide seed for eventual production of superior drugs for AIDS treatment.

Hypolipidemic action of phytic acid ( IP6 ): prevention of fatty liver.
Anticancer Res. 1999 Sep-Oct;19(5A):3695-8.
Laboratory of Nutritional Science, Faculty of Education, Hiroshima University, Japan.
Until recently, most published reports on phytic acid ( myo-inositol hexaphosphoric acid, IP6 ) have focused on the possible decreased mineral bioavailability. Because IP-6 is known to function as a lipotropic factor, studies in my laboratory were conducted to investigate whether dietary IP6 also reduces excessive liver lipids. Male Wistar rats were fed sucrose or corn starch diets, supplemented with myo-inositol or IP6 for 12-14 days. Equimolar myo-inositol and IP6 similarly depressed the rises in hepatic levels of lipids and in hepatic activities of lipogenic enzymes due to sucrose feeding. However, dietary myo-inositol and phytate did not prevent orotic acid-induced hepatic lipid accumulation, which is known to be caused by severe inhibition of hepatic lipoprotein secretion. These results suggest that IP-6 might both protect against fatty liver resulting from elevated hepatic lipogenesis.

IP-6 emails
Q. I would like to sign up for your monthly newsletter on supplements, please. Also I don't know if you respond to individual inquiries, but I know a young man who was just recently diagnosed with rhabdomyosarcoma in his arm. The websites I have visited so far had mentioned IP-6 as a potential substance in treating this type of cancer. I would truly appreciate if you would be kind to comment on this.
     A. One study in mice shows IP-6 is helpful in treating rhabdomyosarcoma, however since human trials are not available, we cannot make any firm recommendations except to say that we hope the benefits would be similar in humans.

Q. Can IP-6 be taken with other supplements with breakfast?
   A. Probably, but each person is unique and most people should have no problems combining IP-6 with a reasonable amount of other supplements.

Q. Do you have any data or opinion on whether IP6 or inositol reacts with Avodart or Tarceva.
   A. I am not aware of any studies with these combinations.

Q. Myo-Inositol-1,2,3,4,5,6-hexakisphosphate IP6 was first described as an abundant form of phosphorus in plant seeds and other plant tissues and dubbed "phytic acid". Subsequently it was found to be a common constituent in eukaryotic cells, its metabolism a basic component of cellular housekeeping. In addition to phosphate, myo-inositol (Ins) and mineral storage and retrieval in plant organs and tissues, other roles for Ins P(6) include service as a major metabolic pool in Ins phosphate and pyrophosphate pathways involved in signaling and regulation; possibly as an effector or ligand in these processes; as a form of energy currency and in ATP regeneration; in RNA export and DNA repair; and as an anti-oxidant. Dr. AbulKalam M. Shamsuddin MD, PhD, is Professor of Pathology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore. Since 1975, he has been researching the processes of cancer formation, cancer prevention and cancer treatment. AbulKalam Shamsuddin has written a book discussing how diets high in bran or Inositol hexaphosphate ( IP6 ) inhibit cancer development in laboratory animals. Studies show IP6 can help fight bacterial and fungal infections. The substance is found in the germ or bran portions of whole grains; the highest concentration is found in whole-kernel corn. IP6 can be added to one's diet by eating whole-grain foods.

Additional link
See inositol for more information