Years ago, researchers concluded that the amount of prostate cancers cases would nearly triple by 2021 in Canada. And in the US alone, nearly 200,000 cases are reported annually. Prostate Cancer is the second most deadly cancer among men, trailing right behind lung cancer.
Why is prostate cancer so malignant when the symptoms which include, difficulty urinating, frequently urinating or inconsistently urinate? Well, mainly because those inflicted with the disease may not experience symptoms at all.
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For a disease that usually preys on men over the age of 40, but most prevalent in men over 55, symptoms can remain dormant, for years (especially men who go without proper examinations).
However, research suggests that cannabis can have an astonishing effect on prostate cancer. In a 2005 study, researchers from the University of Wisconsin discovered that a synthetic version of a cannabis compound, WIN55212-2, had the ability to decrease cell viability and increase Programmed Cell Death, also known as apoptosis.
What’s even more groundbreaking is that researchers noted that the normal and healthy prostate cells remained unaffected and unharmed by the administration of the synthetic cannabinoid.
Researchers from the same 2005 study concluded that cannabis compounds are far more useful for just slowing down the growth and progression of cancerous prostate cells – these cannabinoids can also decrease the expression and presence of the very receptors that aid in the the growth of prostate cells.
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Androgen receptors have been noted to expedite the advancement of prostate cancer cells. However, the synthetic cannabis compounds used by researchers were in fact able to decrease the expression of them.
Scientist have already shown the strong connection between our body’s natural cannabinoid system (endocannabinoid system) and cannabinoids. Essentially, are body is inherently receptive to cannabinoids, because they work in sync with our cannabinoid system. Interestingly enough, top scientists have shown that not only do cannabinoid receptors exist naturally in the in the human prostate, they are found in larger quantities in cancerous prostates.
So what does that mean? Well, researchers strongly believe that our own cannabinoid system may be the biggest contender in fighting prostate cancer.
