Cancer and Nutrition

Articles relating to foods, vitamins etc and cancer


Soy And Fish Have Cancer Preventing Qualities

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19 Nov 2006

If you give your child soy and soy products regularly, the chances of developing breast cancer later on in life is reduced. If you are a man and each fish regularly, your risk of developing colon cancer is lower than a man who does not eat fish regularly. This is according to two studies, the first carried out by researchers at the National Cancer Institute (USA) and the University of Hawaii, and the second at the Harvard School of Public Health.
Both studies were presented at an American Association for Cancer Research meeting, Boston, USA.

In this first study, the researchers looked at data on 1563 Asian/American women, of whom 597 had breast cancer and 966 did not. They found that the women who had eaten (aged 5-11) large quantities of tofu, miso and other soy products were 58% less likely to develop breast cancer as adults, compared to those who had eaten very little soy products. Even adolescent women/girls and adult women who regularly consumed soy products had a 25% lower chance of developing breast cancer.

The researchers suspect isoflavones, which are present in soy and have a similar effect to estrogens, may be the ingredients that offer the cancer protection.

The other study found that men who ate fish at least five times a week were 40% less likely to develop colon cancer compared to men who consumed fish once a week or less.

"Diet Can Provide Protection against Development of Certain Cancers, New Studies Show"
American Association for Cancer Research
http://www.medilexicon.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=57080∞

Non-prescription Compound Found In Chillies Destroys Cancer Tumours Safely

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10 Jan 2007

UK scientists have shown that capsaicin, the chemical that burns your mouth when you eat chillies and an active ingredient of over the counter drugs, can kill cancer cells with little or no harmful side-effects.

The study is published in the journal Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications.

The team that conducted the research came from the Universities of Nottingham in England and Cardiff, in Wales, and was led by Dr Timothy Bates, who is a member of the Medical Research Council (MRC) College of Experts.

The researchers believe that capsaicin, and other similar compounds, attack the mitochondria of cancerous cells, causing them to "switch off" and die (apoptosis, or cell death) without harming surrounding tissue. Mitochondria are organelles (tiny granules of tissue with their own DNA) that live inside the cells of our bodies and convert nutrients into ATP - the chemical fuel that feeds our cells with energy.

Dr Bates, who is an international expert in anti-cancer drug development and mitochondrial research in particular, said this discovery might explain the low incidence of cancer in countries where they eat a lot of chillies like Mexico and India.

From a development view this discovery is exciting for two reasons. First, because capsaicin and related compounds already exist in food that is eaten regularly, they are already safe, readily available and not unknown. Secondly, and perhaps more importantly as far as development costs and timescales go, these compounds have already been approved for use in a range of drugs such as skin ointments to treat psoriasis and neuralgia. Converting their use to treat cancer would be much cheaper and quicker compared to starting from scratch with a new compound.

Dr Bates and his colleagues tested the capsaicin on H460 human lung cancer cells, which is recognised as the "gold standard" for new anti-cancer drugs. However, they also tested similar compounds on pancreatic cancer cells and found the same effect - the tumour cells died off leaving the surrounding tissue intact. This is a very exciting result because pancreatic cancer has a five-year survival rate of less than one per cent and is currently one of the most stubborn cancers to treat.

The study that led to this discovery is the first to emerge from a newly formed Nottingham UK-China Collaboration on Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NUKCAM). The collaboration has members from the University of Nottingham and the Chinese National Academy of Sciences, for example Professor De-An Guo, who is head of the Shanghai Research Centre for the Modernization of Traditional Chinese Medicine. Prof Guo is working with Dr Bates to discover why traditional Chinese medicines are successful in treating cancer and other diseases.

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is considered an alternative medicine in the west. But in China it is an important part of the public health care system.

The last twenty or so years have seen an increasing interest on the part of the West and China to come together and explore this wealth of knowledge that dates back thousands of years. The main thrust of joint projects, like this one, is to examine the theories and uses of TCM using western scientific methods and tools.

Another important milestone in this East-West collaboration will be when The World Health Organization's (WHO) initiative to to standardize TCM nomenclature reaches conclusion. It is said to be in its final phases, and there is a paper on this by Tony Reid in the The Journal of Chinese Medicine.

As lovers of Sichuan food and dishes will know, chillies do feature prominently in the Chinese diet, and apart from adding fire and flavour are believed by local followers of Chinese medicine to help ward off the ills caused by their damp and muggy climate.
http://www.medilexicon.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=60504∞

New Links Found Between Wine, Fermented Foods And Cancer

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13 Mar 2007

New findings by a Queen's University research team dispel the popular notion that eating so-called "natural" foods will protect against cancer.

In fact, certain types of common foods and alcoholic beverages such as wine, cheese, yogurt and bread contain trace amounts of carcinogens. Maintaining a balanced diet from a variety of sources - including garlic - is a better choice, the researchers suggest.

Led by Dr. Poh-Gek Forkert of Queen's Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, the team has discovered that a naturally-occurring carcinogen found in alcoholic beverages and fermented foods causes DNA modification and mutations, ultimately leading to abnormal cell growth and lung cancer. Her research also shows that a component of garlic significantly reduces these changes.

The most recent Queen's findings are published on-line in the journal, Carcinogenesis. This is the third in a series of four related papers: two of the companion papers are published on-line in the International Journal of Cancer and Drug Metabolism and Disposition.

Dr. Forkert's team includes PhD student Lya Hernandez and postdoctoral fellows, Drs. Heidi Chen and Ashish Sharma (all from Anatomy and Cell Biology). Also collaborating on the team are PhD student Martin Kaufmann (Biochemistry), Dr. Glenville Jones (Biochemistry), and Dr. Raymond Bowers (Chemistry).

The researchers are studying the effects of treatment with vinyl carbamate in mice. This substance is derived from ethyl carbamate (urethane), a by-product of fermentation found in alcoholic beverages, and fermented foods like cheese, yogurt and bread. It is also present naturally in tobacco.

Now labeled as a potential human carcinogen by both the World Health Organization and the International Agency for Research on Cancer, urethane was given inadvertently to millions of patients in Japan, between 1950 and 1975, in analgesic and sedative drugs. It was estimated that the total dose of urethane administered to a 60-kilogram patient was about 0.6 to 3.0 grams. This is believed to be the largest dose on record of a pure carcinogen administered directly to people.

In 1985, Health and Welfare Canada placed limits on urethane contained in Canadian (but not imported) alcoholic beverages. "The problem is how to regulate the levels in imported goods," says Dr. Forkert.

In these studies, the mice were administered a single high dose of the carcinogenic chemical. Human exposure differs from that in mice in that it is much lower, and occurs over a prolonged period of time. A question has been raised regarding the effect on people who ingest low levels of the chemical daily over many years, and perhaps over a lifetime.

"We believe that people should not be apprehensive about consuming these foods and beverages: if consumed at low levels, they probably don't pose a risk. It might be prudent, however, to have a varied diet and to limit drinking certain alcoholic beverages," says Dr. Forkert. "And include garlic!" she adds.
http://www.medilexicon.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=64790∞

Further Information

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Vegetables and Cancer
Articles relating to Vegetables and Cancer

Vitamins and Cancer
Vitamins and Cancer Research
Vitamin C and Cancer Research
Vitamin D and Cancer Research
Vitamin E and Cancer Research

See also: Articles About Antioxidants

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CategoryCancer