We have been conducting researches on FPP on the theme of "Healthy Aging", aimed at achieving to reduce medical costs though preventive medicine.

Our study group consisted of 54 elderly patients without major invalidating diseases who were randomly divided into two fully matched groups. Group A was given a certified fermented papaya preparation 9 g/day by mouth, while group B received placebo.

Treatment was carried out in a cross-over manner with a 3-month supplementation followed by a 6-week washout period. Blood samples were drawn at entry and on a monthly basis to check routine parameters, redox status, and 8-OHdG in circulating leukocyte DNA. Polymorphism analysis of GSTM1 was carried out as well. The glutathione-S transferase M1 (GSTM1) genotype was null (?) in 40% and 46% of groups A and B, respectively. GSTM1 (?) smokers had a significantly higher level of plasma DNA adducts and leukocytes level of 8-OHdG than their GSTM1 (+) counterparts (P< 0.01). There was a weak correlation between cigarettes smoked/day and DNA adduct (r: 0.61, P< 0.05), which also correlated with antioxidant concentrations, but only in GSTM1 (?) smokers (P< 0.01).

The fermented papaya preparation (FPP)-supplemented group showed a significant enhancement of the antioxidant protection (P< 0.01 vs. A) within the subgroups with GSTM1 (?) and of plasma DNA adduct, irrespective of the GSTM1 genotype. Only the GSTM1 (?) subgroup was the one that, under FPP treatment, increased lymphocyte 8-OHdG (P< 0.01). Such preliminary data show that FPP is a promising nutraceutical for improving antioxidant-defense in elderly patients even without any overt antioxidant-deficiency state while helping explain some inconsistent results of prior interventional studies.

(a)HepatoGastroenterology Univ., S. Giuseppe Hospital, Milano, Italy (b)Geriatrics Department, Cornell University Medical Center, New York, USA (c)Immunology Research Institute and Clinic, Nagoya, Japan (d)GAIA, Age-Management Foundation, Pavia, Italy (e)ORI Bioscience Laboratory, Gifu, Japan


Ann.N.Y. Acad. Sci. 1067: 400-407 (2006)