| Saponins may prevent cancer by
protecting DNA from damage, are antiviral in in vitro studies, and
directly inhibits colon cancer. Saponins may be cardioprotective via their
ability to lower cholesterol. Saponins have a potential role as cancer preventive agents acting as antioxidants, antimutagens and even antiretrovirals in vitro HIV studies and anti-DNA virals in Epstein-Barr virus inhibition studies. In one study, saponins were shown to directly inhibit colon cancer. Possible attribution as a colon cancer preventive based on retrospective epidemiologic studies of vegetarians and Asian populations places saponins intake as a possible important chemopreventive measure. Saponins can stimulate immunity, directly slay certain cancer cells, slow the growth of cancerous cervical and skin cells, and can even reverse the proliferation of cancerous colon cells. The Japanese eat five times these cancer fighters than Americans; Westernized vegetarians eat about 345 mg saponins per day. Saponins are steroid glycosides with detergent properties, sometimes used as foaming agents in foods and cosmetics, they very often have low LD50's and often potent medicinal effects. Soy saponins resemble cholesterol in structure and are thought to lower cholesterol by enhancing excretion or blocking absorption of cholesterol. Calvert, GD, et al. A trial of the effects of soya-bean flour and soya-bean saponins on plasma lipids, faecal bile acids and neutral sterols in hypercholesterolaemic men. Br J Nutr 45:277-281, 1981. Elias, R, et al. Antimutagenic activity of some saponins isolated from Calendula officianalis L, C. arvenis L. and Hedera helix L. Mutagenesis 5:327-331, 1990. George et al: Food Cosmet. Toxicol, 3, 81, 1965. Liener, IE. Factors affecting the nutritional quality of soya products. J Am Oil Chem Soc 58:406-415, 1981. Nakashima H, et al. Inhibitory effect of glycosides like saponin from soybean on the infectivity of HIV in vitro. AIDS 3:655-658, 1989. Oakenfull, D. Saponins in Food--a review. Food Chem 6:19-40, 1981. Ohominami, H., et al. Effect of soyasaponin on lipid metabolism. Proc Symp Wakan-Yaku 14:157-162, 1981. Ridout CL, et al. UK mean daily intakes of saponins, intestine permabilizing factors in legumes. Food Sci Nutr 42F-111-116, 1988. Tanizam, H. et al. Inhibitory effect of soyasaponins on the increase of lipid peroxide by adriamycin (ADR) in mice. Proc Symp Wakan-Yaku 15:119-123, 1982. Tokuda, H., et al. Inhibitory effects of 12-O-tetrdecanoylphorbol-13-acetate and teleocidin B induced Epstein-Barr virus by saponin and its related compounds. Cancer Lett 40:309-317, 1988.
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