Air Date: Week of March 30, 2001

Transcript

TOOMEY: Researchers at the Mayo Clinic think they've made a discovery that might lead to a new treatment for prostate cancer. It's a substance called kwersetin. It's found in fruits, vegetables, tea, and red wine, and here's how it works. Androgens are male hormones, and kwercetin appears to deactivate androgen receptors found in prostate cells. That's important because androgen receptors control genes involved in the development of prostate cancer. Right now, prostate cancer treatment uses surgery or drugs to reduce androgen levels, but in many cases, the cancer reoccurs because the androgen receptor is somehow able to keep working. Researchers say kwercetin is promising but caution more work is needed to determine if it will translate into an actual treatment for prostate cancer. And that's this week's health update. I'm Diane Toomey.

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CURWOOD: It's Living on Earth. I'm Steve Curwood. And coming up: oil drilling in one of the nation's most treasured pieces of real estate. But first...