Cathy
O’Leary Medical Editor - The West Australian on July 6, 2016, 12:40 am
Emu
oil could help to ward off bowel cancer, according to results from landmark WA
research.
University
of WA researcher Suzanne Mashtoub said the results suggested taking emu oil
capsules could protect people with bowel diseases from developing tumours.
While
it was premature to recommend people take emu oil to prevent or treat bowel
cancer, the results were promising.
The
National Health and Medical Research Council post-doctoral research fellow used
a Cancer Council WA grant to study the effects of emu oil sourced from South
Australia.
Professor
Gordon Howarth from the University of Adelaide with UWA emu oil researcher Dr
Suzanne Mashtoub.
Dr
Mashtoub was prompted to do the animal study because of the anti-inflammatory
effects from emu oil used on the skin.
“My
aim was to investigate whether emu oil could reduce inflammation and repair
damage in the bowel caused by ulcerative colitis, and monitor if we could
prevent the development of bowel cancer,” she said.
The
study found emu oil helped prevent weight loss, which could be useful for bowel
cancer patients, and appeared to protect the intestine from inflammation.
Dr
Mashtoub said while emu oil did not prevent tumours, those that developed were
smaller.
Researchers
will now focus on the most effective dosage and frequency of treatment.
Terry
Slevin from Cancer Council WA said it was early research and people should not
take emu oil believing it would stop them getting bowel cancer.
