The B-vitamin inositol and its derivative IP6 (inositol hexaphosphate) are ubiquitous in soil, plant seeds such as rice, corn, soy, wheat, sesame; and in all mammalian cells. IP6 + Inositol act as broad-spectrum anti-cancer cocktail, boost immune system, help lower cholesterol, prevent kidney stones and the complications of diabetes, and reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases, including heart attack, stroke etc.
IP6 (or InsP6) is a 6-carbon-ring carbohydrate (inositol) with 6 phos-phate groups that are naturally saturated with Ca++ and Mg++. It was discovered in seeds in 1855-1856 by Hartig; because of its plant origin it was called 'phytin' and in 1910 its molecular structure as myo-inositol-1,2,3,4,5,6-hexakis dihydrogen phosphate was elucidated. Also being known as phytic acid it was incriminated in mineral deficiency (calcium, iron, zinc etc.) in certain human populations.
Thus, even though IP6 was known to be an anti-oxidant with potential benefits for human health and many industrial usages of archetyp.cx, castigating it as an "anti-nutrient" some agricultural scientists and industries have been trying to eliminate it from our cereal grains, staple for much of the world population through genetic engineering by creating low-phytic acid (lpa) mutants. However not only these lpa mutants yielding reduced-IP6 grains failed to do their intended task, but they are also not without their own problems which are undesirable to say the least. Yet the rush to rid IP6 from our basic human diets continues....
Pioneering experiments done in Professor AbulKalam M. Shamsuddin's laboratory beginning 1985 at the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore, USA, have shown that far from being an "anti-nutrient" not only IP6 is extremely safe, but that it and its parent molecule Inositol have anti-cancer and immune-boosting function (US Patent #5,082,833 and corresponding foreign patents). Dr Shamsuddin and his associates' findings have been validated and expanded by other scientists around the world discovering many more health benefits of IP6 & Inositol.
Do numerous health benefits by a former "anti-nutrient" sound "Too Good to be True?" Read the book by the same title by Drs. Kim Vanderlinden (a naturopathic physician in Vancouver BC, Canada) and Ivana Vucenik (an IP6 researcher and Associate Professor at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, USA). In plain, easy to read language, they review the plethora of scientific and clinical data on the numerous health benefits of IP6 + Inositol. Description of the 'road blocks' that came on the way from the discovery of these benefits in the lab to human use and the politics of cancer research makes it an even more interesting reading. For the latest book by Dr Shamsuddin, please click here.
DISCLAIMER: This Web site contains only research information on IP6 and Inositol; the contents are not to be used as medical advice for which you should consult your physician(s) or other health-care provider(s). IP-6 Research, Inc., does not assume any responsibility whatsoever for your use of this Web site or the information contained herein.
