A recent study delves into flavonoids, which occur in a range of fruit and veg
Islamabad (Pakistan Point News / Online - 02nd January, 2020) A recent study delves into flavonoids, which occur in a range of fruit and veg.Worldwide, more than 1 million people receive a diagnosis of colorectal cancer each year. It is also the third most common cause of cancer death in the United States.Experts estimate that in 2019, doctors will diagnose 101,420 new cases ofcolon cancer and 44,180 new cases of rectal cancer in the U.S. alone.
They also expect that 51,020 people will die of colorectal cancer in 2019.The risk factors for colorectal cancer include certain dietary factors, such as a diet rich in red meat, such as beef, lamb or pork, and processed meats, such as hot dogs. Other risk factors include having overweight andobesity.From aspirin to fruitAssociate Professor Jayarama Gunaje and his team at South Dakota State University in Brookings were initially investigating aspirin as a way to prevent cancer.
During their investigation, they uncovered new details about flavonoids and how they might prevent colorectal cancer. They recently published their findings in the journal Cancers.Previous studies had identified that flavonoids, natural compounds in fruit and vegetables, inhibit cancer, but no one knew what made them effective."Our laboratory has been working on the mechanism of cancer prevention by aspirin (acetylsalicylic acid), a household drug that has been known to decrease the occurrences of colorectal cancers for over a decade," Gunaje explained to Medical news Today.
"While investigating this phenomenon, we were conducting experiments on the role of aspirin metabolites and other derivatives of salicylic acid for their ability to inhibit cancer cell growth."Gunaje added that "Interestingly [2,4,6-THBA] is also present in small amounts in red wine, possibly [due to] the degradation of flavonoid compounds in grapes during the fermentation process."Paving the way to a new treatment"We have so many drugs to treat cancer, but almost none to prevent it," says Gunaje.
"Cancer is not going away, so we need to find ways to prevent it. That is why we are excited about the discovery of 2,4,6-THBA as an inhibitor of cancer cell growth."Using multiple human cancer cell lines grown in the laboratory, they found that 2,4,6-THBA effectively inhibited cancer cell growth.Once the researchers documented that 2,4,6-THBA, a derivative of salicylic acid in aspirin, could inhibit cancer cell growth, they set about searching for natural sources of this cancer-preventing compound, which led them to flavonoids.
