Bioactive food components and cancer risk reduction

Abstract

Research over the last three decades has provided convincing evidence to support the premise that diets rich in fruits and vegetables may be protective against the risk of different types of cancers. Initial evidence for protective effect of fruits and vegetables against cancer risk came from population-based case-control studies, which prompted intense research aimed at (a) identification of bioactive component(s) responsible for the anticancer effects of fruits and vegetables, (b) elucidation of the mechanisms by which bioactive food components may prevent cancer, and (c) determination of their efficacy for prevention of cancer in animal models. The bioactive components responsible for cancer chemopreventive effects of various edible plants have now been identified. For instance, anticancer effect of Allium vegetables including garlic is attributed to organosulfur compounds (e.g., diallyl trisulfide). Interestingly, unlike cancer chemotherapy drugs, many bioactive food components selectively target cancer cells. Molecular basis for selectivity of anticancer bioactive food components towards cancer cells remains elusive, but these agents appear promiscuous and target multiple signal transduction pathways to inhibit cancer cell growth in vitro and in vivo. Despite convincing observational and experimental evidence, however, limited effort has been directed towards clinical investigations to determine efficacy of bioactive food components for prevention of human cancers. This article reviews current knowledge on cancer chemopreventive effects of a few highly promising dietary constituents, including garlic-derived organosulfides, berry compounds, and cruciferous vegetable-derived isothiocyanates, and serves to illustrate complexity of the signal transduction mechanisms in cancer chemoprevention by these promising bioactive food components.

Flavonoid consumption and esophageal cancer among black and white men in the United States

“…1,35 Risk estimates are attenuated when adjusting for multiple chemopreventive food components at the same time. For example, adjusting for fiber consumption attenuated the associations between anthocyanidin and isoflavonoid consumption and EAC and ESCC, respectively.…”

Resveratrol Exerts Differential Effects in Vitro and in Vivo against Ovarian Cancer Cells

“…In view of the slow pace of progress in the treatment of advanced ovarian cancer, the quest for strategies for prevention as well as novel effective therapy hold significant promise to reduce the mortality from this deadly disease (Mills, 2002;Brewer et al, 2003;Hoekstra & Rodriguez, 2009). A plethora of phytochemicals present in vegetables, fruits, nuts and spices has been shown to be effective in the prevention and treatment of several tumors (Stan et al, 2008;Dennis et al, 2009;Gullet et al, 2010;Bishayee, 2012). Some are currently being considered as promising agents in the prevention and management ovarian cancer (Hoekstra & Rodriguez, 2009).…”

Modulation of rat pulmonary carcinogen-metabolising enzyme systems by the isothiocyanates erucin and sulforaphane

“…Numerous epidemiological studies have established that dietary habits play a pivotal role in the aetiology and progression of human diseases including cancer [1]. A large number of dietary phytochemicals have been recognised with potential chemopreventive activity, and in laboratory studies they could antagonise the carcinogenicity of chemicals in animal models.…”