Stem Cell Supplements Malaysia 2023: Can Stem Cell Supplements Boost Natural Stem Cells?

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If you do a search on popular e-commerce sites in Malaysia like Shopee and Lazada, you will see many stem cell related products available. Do stem cell supplements really work?

The main claim of these stem cell supplements is that they’ll either make you have more stem cells, happier stem cells, or assist in stem cells differentiating into the desired cell type.

If you do a search on Clinicaltrials.gov, you will find many studies of the effects of specific supplements on stem cells.

stem cell supplements

But do they work?

It’s hard to say without more data. We can only be definitive once we have more quality studies published. We’ll see in coming years or decades if any specific supplement can convincingly do something useful that is stem cell-related based on more research data.

Best natural stem cell boosts?

How might we all increase or stimulate the number of our own stem cells?

However, below are best possible simple and evidence-based ways that research suggests theoretically might be helpful to give your existing so-called endogenous stem cells a boost. 
  • Exercise
  • Caloric restriction and fasting
  • Sleep
  • Protect Yourself from Radiation
Important: consult with your doctor before considering any of these ideas. This blog post is not meant as medical advice.

 Stem Cells - The Basics

Stem cells are undifferentiated cells, unlike the specialised cells in our body such as nerve cells, muscle cells and blood cells. They are capable of developing into various types of cells and tissues. In the human body, stem cells serve as an internal repair system during early growth and throughout life. When a stem cell divides, it potentially differentiates into another type of cell with a more specialised function, e.g. a red blood cell or a nerve cell. To put it simply, stem cells build tissues when and where the body needs them.

Stem cells can be distinguished from other types of cells by these unique properties: (1) they are unspecialised ‘immortal’ cells, capable of dividing many times over, sometimes after long periods of inactivity; (2) under certain conditions, they can be induced to differentiate into specific cell types. In the gut and bone marrow, stem cells regularly divide to replace worn out tissues. In the heart and pancreas, however, stem cells only divide under stressed conditions.

There are three major types of stem cells of the human source:
  1. Human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) are derived from human embryos blastocyst generated through an in vitro fertilisation (IVF) procedure for reproductive purposes. The embryos were collected from fertility clinics via informed consent of donors.
  2. Adult (somatic) stem cells reside in specific tissues and normally grow to replace a particular type of tissue within its surroundings. It is essentially an undifferentiated cell found among differentiated cells in a tissue or an organ, silently in-waiting to act to repair or replace damaged or worn tissues. For example, stem cells in the bone marrow differentiate into several types of blood cells. This ability makes it possible to perform bone marrow transplant from a donor to regenerate a complete blood system in a recipient.
  3. In addition to the above, current technology allows the reversal of a specialised cell into an embryonic stem cell. This reprogrammed cell is called an induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC).
What are the common terms used to describe stem cells?

Stem cells can be classified according to their developmental versatility, or ‘plasticity’. This indicates how committed a stem cell is to differentiate and become a particular type of cell.

Totipotent stem cells:
The most versatile of stem cell types, they have the potential to give rise to any and all cells or even an entire organism. When a sperm cell and an egg cell unite, a one-celled totipotent fertilised egg is formed.

Pluripotent stem cells:
These stem cells can give rise to all tissue types but cannot give rise to an entire organism (unlike totipotent stem cells). Eg: human embryo stem cell or blastocyst.

Multipotent stem cells:
These stem cells are more differentiated and can only give rise to a limited range of cells, e.g. within a tissue type.

Adult stem cells:
These are multipotent stem cells that are undifferentiated cells present in a differentiated tissue, functioning to replace dead or damaged cells.

Another group of stem cell products that have gained prominence in Malaysia is the “Double Stem Cell” and “Triple Stem Cell” products by companies producing cosmetic and nutritional supplements extracted out from the stem cell of plants. These stem cell products are different from 'live' stem cells that are used in most of the stem cell therapy studies and clinical trials.

What are the possible applications of stem cells in medicine?

Given their unique differentiation abilities, stem cells offer much potential in medicine. Use of stem cell based therapies for treatment of diseases is referred to as regenerative medicine. Regenerative medicine has often been perceived as the next pillar in healthcare, after pharmaceutical drugs, biological products and medical devices.

As clinical application of stem cells will require safe and highly efficient generation of stem cells, fundamental scientific research attempts to answer these questions:

(1) why can embryonic stem cells proliferate for a long period without differentiating, while adult stem cells cannot?;

(2) what are the factors in the human body that regulate stem cell proliferation and self-renewal?

The answers to these questions may provide a deeper understanding on how cell proliferation is regulated during normal embryonic development or during uncontrolled cell division that leads to cancer or birth defects. The information may also allow more efficient generation of stem cells in the laboratory setting to fulfil medical needs. In mouse studies, embryonic stem cells have been successfully differentiated into nerve cells and insulin-producing cells. If the technique can be successfully replicated in human, transplantation of laboratory-produced specialised cells can potentially treat diseases such as diabetes, traumatic spinal cord injury, and Parkinson’s disease.

Conclusion
In conclusion, a complete understanding on the potential of stem cells in medicine presents a great challenge to the medical community. However, rapid developments in genomics and proteomics can potentially widen the horizon for clinical application of stem cells. The ultimate aim is to transform stem cell therapy from a medical frontier to a medical basis one day.


References:
  1. National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (March 5, 2015). Stem Cell Basics: Introduction. In Stem Cell Information. Retrieved April 14, 2015 from http://stemcells.nih.gov/info/basics/pages/basics1.aspx
  2. National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (September 9, 2009). Stem Cell Information: Repairing the Nervous System with Stem Cells. Retrieved April 15, 2015 from http://stemcells.nih.gov/info/scireport/pages/2006Chapter3.aspx
  3. Nature Publishing Group (2015). Nature Reports: Stem Cells FAQs: What are Stem Cells? Retrieved April 14, 2015 from http://www.nature.com/stemcells/2007/0706/070614/full/stemcells.2007.12.html
  4. Nature Publishing Group (2015). Nature Reports: Stem Cells FAQs: How can Stem Cells Advance Medicine? Retrieved April 14, 2015 from http://www.nature.com/stemcells/2007/0706/070614/full/stemcells.2007.23.html
  5. Nature Publishing Group (2015). Nature Reports: Stem Cells FAQs: What are Some Risks of Stem Cell Therapies? Retrieved April 14, 2015 from http://www.nature.com/stemcells/2007/0706/070614/full/stemcells.2007.26.html
  6. Brown University, Division of Biology and Medicine (February 19, 2014). Courses: Stem Cell Classification. Retrieved April 14, 2015 from http:www.biomed.brown.edu/Courses/BI108/BI108_2002_Groups/pancstems/stemcell/stemcellsclassversatility.htm
  7. Winslow, T. How Human Embryonic Stem Cells are Derived (2006) [Image]. Retrieved April 15, 2015 from http://www.stemcells.nih.gov/info/scireport/pages/2006Chapter1.aspx
  8. Medical Development Division, Ministry of Health Malaysia (2009). Guidelines for Stem Cell Research and Therapy. Retrieved April 14, 2015 from http://www.moh.gov.my/images/gallery/Garispanduan/Stem_Cell/stem_cell_therapy.pdf
  9. Strauer, B.E. and Kornowski, R. (2003) Stem cells therapy in perspective. Circulation; 107: 929-934. Retrieved April 15, 2015 from http://www.circ.ahajournals.org/content/107/7/929.full.pdf+html
  10. https://ipscell.com/2020/02/review-of-stem-cell-supplements-underscienced-overpriced/
  11. https://ipscell.com/2014/07/top-5-possible-natural-stem-cell-boosts/
  12. http://www.nature.com/stemcells/links.html 
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