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PABA - PARA-AMINOBENZOIC
ACID
Description
Para-aminobenzoic acid, or PABA, is a non-protein amino acid
that is widely distributed in nature. Many years ago, when
B-vitamins were first being researched, PABA was referred to as
vitamin Bx. We now know it is neither a vitamin nor an
essential nutrient for humans, since it is made in the body by
beneficial bacteria found normally in the small intestine.
PABA is used in the body to incorporate protein into living
tissue, as well as to reverse this process by breaking down
protein. It is also used in formation of red blood cells, as
well as an intermediary step in the manufacture of folic
acid in the intestines. PABA also assists in maintaining the
health of your intestinal flora (the beneficial bacteria found
in the intestine). It has been linked to hair growth as well
as reversing the graying of hair, but these results tend to be
inconclusive, except when there is significant B-vitamin
deficiency. People suffering from vitiligo (over-pigmentation
of skin) or without pigment in some spots, have reported an
improvement of their skin coloration after taking PABA
supplementation. Para-aminobenzoic acid is also used in
sunscreen preparations since it can help protect the skin
against ultraviolet radiation. Found in liver, kidney,
brewer's yeast, molasses, whole grains, mushrooms and spinach,
PABA is also made by intestinal bacteria (flora).
While most of the research done on PD has been conducted with
potassium para-aminobenzoate (POTABA), this particular form of PABA frequently causes
severe gastric distress, and for this reason it is a
prescription medication.(1) The more safe and less expensive
PABA can be readily gotten without a prescription, and hence
it is less expensive without sacrificing effectiveness of
treatment.
Toxicity Symptoms
When higher than SPF 8 sunscreens are used, the manufacture of
vitamin D in the body may be reduced in that area
on which the sunscreen is applied. Fever, nausea, vomiting and
skin rash might be indicative of oral PABA taken in large and
prolonged doses. Excessive levels of PABA are stored in the
body and may cause liver damage. These symptoms resolve when
PABA intake is stopped.
When More PABA May
Be Required
Prolonged antibiotic use will destroy the friendly bacteria,
or intestinal flora, that make PABA for you. If you have to
take antibiotics it would be appropriate to increase your PABA
intake during the time you are on that medication and for a
week or so after you have stopped.
Dosage
Medical use of PABA in the potassium salt form, called POTABA,
calls for a heavy dose of 12 grams to be taken daily in
divided amounts so that you are taking it every three hours.
However, if you are going to use PABA in your plan along with
several other suggested therapies, it probably is not
necessary to take such a large or frequent dose. For more on
this, click synergy. Taking a total of 2000 mgs (2 grams)
daily, equally divided during the day at each meal, would be
adequate and far from the heavy dosage that can cause the
hypersensitivity problems warned about in the paragraph below.
Contraindications
PABA should not be administered to anyone taking sulfonamides
or to anyone who is hypersensitive to it. PABA should be
stopped if hypersensitivity develops. PABA should be used with
caution in those with renal disease. If anorexia or nausea
occurs, PABA should be stopped until the person is eating
normally again. Those taking pharmaceutical doses of PABA must
be under medical supervision.
Science
PABA is also known as 4-aminobenzoic acid. It is a solid
substance with slight solubility in water. PABA is an
intermediate in the synthesis of folic acid in bacteria. The
sulfonamide antibiotics are structurally similar to PABA and
interfere with the synthesis of nucleic acids in sensitive
microorganisms by blocking the conversion of PABA to the
coenzyme dihydrofolic acid, a reduced form of folic acid. In
humans, dihydrofolic acid is obtained from dietary folic acid;
thus, sulfonamides do not affect human cells.
After ingestion, PABA is absorbed mainly through the small
intestine wall and from there it goes into the portal
circulation. Some metabolism of PABA occurs in the liver, with
most metabolites excreted in the urine, and lesser amounts in
the feces and bile.
PD Connection
PABA is reported to have an anti-fibrotic (anti-scar) effect in
the body, and for this reason it is used to treat certain skin
conditions in which fibrosis, inelasticity or thickening of
the skin occurs. The reputed antifibrotic action of PABA may
be due to its stimulation of increased oxygen uptake at the
tissue level, which enhances the oxygen-dependent monoamine
oxidase activity that in turn prevents or causes regression of
tissue fibrosis.
Aminobenzoate potassium is used medically to treat fibrosis, a
condition in which the skin and underlying tissues tighten and
become less flexible. This condition occurs in such diseases
as Peyronie's disease, dermatomyositis, morphea, scleroderma,
and linear scleroderma. It is also used to treat non-suppurative
inflammation that occurs in such diseases as dermatomyositis,
pemphigus, and again, Peyronie's disease.
It is likely because of the suspected anti-scar quality of
PABA that it is reported by many to be effective in treatment
of PD. Supporting this idea, from the world literature we find
reports of 2,752 cases treated with Potaba by 1996 that have
shown improvement in 60% of the cases studied, with a range of
improvement from 10% to 82% depending on the study, and a
reported median failure rate of 40%.(2) The wide variation of
success (10% to 82%) in the review is a reflection of the wide
variance of the PD process, once again confirming this is a
very difficult condition to study and determine success rates.
There are other PD studies, using PABA alone or in combination
with other therapies, all citing success in a similar range;
one of the studies reported the success of 214 urologists who
treated 2653 cases of PD with para-aminobenzoacidic
potassium.(3-4) However, the 60% average success is a very
good success rate and gives encouragement that PABA is a
viable inclusion into a person’s PD treatment plan.
In addition, as we have seen with vitamin E and carnitine,
there are other conditions that have similar scar tissue
responses as PD and these have been researched and studied to
determine if PABA is an effective treatment. Perhaps the
condition most similar to PD on a cellular level that is also
treated with PABA, is a condition called scleroderma. Now,
scleroderma is a nasty chronic disease of unknown cause,
characterized by diffuse fibrosis and vascular changes of the
skin, and degenerative changes of internal organs. Because
there is a common element of fibrous tissue infiltration,
anything that is beneficial to scleroderma might also be of
value to treating PD.(5-6)
We recommend adding PABA to your treatment plan because
there is good science to support its use in PD. PABA research
is also good not only for Peyronie’s disease, but for other
conditions that have similar tissue fibrosis components, such
as scleroderma. Again, in spite of favorable research and
multiple studies showing favorable effect of PABA on PD, there
is insufficient evidence to establish it as a proven PD
treatment because there are researchers and studies that do
not agree with these results. Therefore, once again, talk to your physician about
adding PABA to your PD treatment plan.
PABA Product
Recommendation
The PABA PDI recommends is from Douglas Laboratory. It comes
in a 500 mg capsule simply called PABA. As we have written
before, we value highly the reputation and quality for which
Douglas Laboratory has been known for the last 50 years. It is
a name you can trust, and we are happy to make it available
for your one-source shopping.
For ideas and suggestions to put it all together, click
Create a PD Treatment Plan.
Order PABA
Why Buy from
PDI?
1. Service
PDI offers email support and
assistance for the products and services we provide. We
provide experience and interest in helping you with PD.
PDI
is here to help you with questions about the
products we sell. This is an extremely valuable service
the others cannot possibly match.
2. Quality and Quantity Repairing the Peyronie’s
scar is such an important mission. It is critical you
use a high quality and quantity of nutrients. We have
done the hard part selecting good companies and
products. Buy with confidence.
3. Value
PDI has a competitive pricing structure
of which we are proud. We doubt you can find better
products that deliver the quality and quantity for the
prices we have set.
4. Convenience The longer you take to start
treating PD, the longer and more difficult treatment
becomes, and the likelihood of success deteriorates.
Everything you need is here, right now, in one place. |
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1. Ludwig G.
Evaluation of conservative therapeutic approaches to
Peyronie's disease (fibrotic induration of the penis). Urol
Int. 1991;47(4):236-9. Urologische Klinik, Städtisches
Krankenhaus, Frankfurt am Main-Höchst, BRD.
2. Wagenknecht LV. Differential therapies in various stages of
penile induration. Arch Esp Urol. 1996 Apr;49(3):285-92.
3. Carson CC. Potassium para-aminobenzoate for the treatment
of Peyronie's disease: is it effective? Tech Urol. 1997
Fall;3(3):135-9. Division of Urology, University of North
Carolina, School of Medicine, Chapel Hill 27599-7235, USA.
4. Hasche-Klunder R. Treatment of peyronie's disease with
para-aminobenzoacidic potassium (POTOBA) Urologe A. 1978
Jul;17(4):224-7. (author's transl) [Article in German]
5. Griffiths MR, Priestley GC. A comparison of morphoea and
lichen sclerosus et atrophicus in vitro: the effects of
para-aminobenzoate on skin fibroblasts. Acta Derm Venereol.
1992;72(1):15-8. Department of Dermatology, University of
Edinburgh, Scotland.
6. Meyers D.Treatment of scleroderma. Med J Aust. 1977 Jun
11;1(24):887.
7. Priestley GC, Brown JC. Effects of potassium
para-aminobenzoate on growth and macromolecule synthesis in
fibroblasts cultured from normal and sclerodermatous human
skin, and rheumatoid synovial cells. J Invest Dermatol. 1979
Apr;72(4):161-4.
8. Zarafonetis CJ, Dabich L, Devol EB, Skovronski JJ, Negri D,
Yuan WY. Retrospective studies in scleroderma: pulmonary
findings and effect of potassium p-aminobenzoate on vital
capacity. Respiration. 1989;56(1-2):22-33. Department of
Internal Medicine, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann
Arbor.
9. Zarafonetis CJ, Dabich L, Negri D, Skovronski JJ, DeVol EB,
Wolfe R. Retrospective studies in scleroderma: effect of
potassium para-aminobenzoate on survival. J Clin Epidemiol.
1988;41(2):193-205. Department of Internal Medicine,
University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor.
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