Essential Nutrients In Carcinogenesis

For more than 50 years, it has been recognized that diet influences cancer formation both in humans and in experimental animals. In fact, early investigators successfully retarded the onset of tumors in animals by dietary manipulation. Such findings led to an early optimism that cancer would prove to be yet another disease resulting from dietary imbalances and might thus be amenable to prevention or cure by appropriate nutritional changes. Subsequent studies showed that the influence of diet on cancer formation was not only very complex, it also did not appear to playa direct causative role in carcinogenesis. Thus during the mid-1950s scientific interest in diet and cancer greatly waned. By the early 1970s, however, a resurging interest in diet and cancer became evident. This field of activity has continued to grow. Yet for over 20 years, no comprehensive meeting has been held to summarize the major developments concerning dietary modification of carcinogenesis over a broad range of essential nutrients. To fill this void, a workshop was held on the role of essential nutrients in carcinogenesis from January 30 to February 1, 1985, in Bethesda, Maryland, under the auspices of the National Cancer Institute. This volume is a compilation of the presenta tions made at that meeting.

For more than 50 years, it has been recognized that diet influences cancer formation both in humans and in experimental animals. In fact, early investigators successfully retarded the onset of tumors in animals by dietary manipulation. Such findings led to an early optimism that cancer would prove to be yet another disease resulting from dietary imbalances and might thus be amenable to prevention or cure by appropriate nutritional changes. Subsequent studies showed that the influence of diet on cancer formation was not only very complex, it also did not appear to playa direct causative role in carcinogenesis. Thus during the mid-1950s scientific interest in diet and cancer greatly waned. By the early 1970s, however, a resurging interest in diet and cancer became evident. This field of activity has continued to grow. Yet for over 20 years, no comprehensive meeting has been held to summarize the major developments concerning dietary modification of carcinogenesis over a broad range of essential nutrients. To fill this void, a workshop was held on the role of essential nutrients in carcinogenesis from January 30 to February 1, 1985, in Bethesda, Maryland, under the auspices of the National Cancer Institute. This volume is a compilation of the presenta tions made at that meeting.

Despite increasing knowledge of human nutrition, the dietary contribution to cancer remains a troubling question. Carcinogens and Anticarcinogens assembles the best available information on the magnitude of potential cancer riskâ€"and potential anticarcinogenic effectâ€"from naturally occurring chemicals compared with risk from synthetic chemical constituents. The committee draws important conclusions about diet and cancer, including the carcinogenic role of excess calories and fat, the anticarcinogenic benefit of fiber and other substances, and the impact of food additive regulation. The book offers recommendations for epidemiological and diet research. Carcinogens and Anticarcinogens provides a readable overview of issues and addresses critical questions: Does diet contribute to an appreciable proportion of human cancer? Are there significant interactions between carcinogens and anticarcinogens in the diet? The volume discusses the mechanisms of carcinogenic and anticarcinogenic properties and considers whether techniques used to evaluate the carcinogenic potential of synthetics can be used with naturally occurring chemicals. The committee provides criteria for prioritizing the vast number of substances that need to be tested. Carcinogens and Anticarcinogens clarifies the issues and sets the direction for further investigations into diet and cancer. This volume will be of interest to anyone involved in food and health issues: policymakers, regulators, researchers, nutrition professionals, and health advocates.

Cancer is a major global public health problem. Among different environmental and lifestyle factors contributing to cancer risk, diet is a key one. On the one hand, obesity and increased consumption of red and processed meat, ethanol, sugar and saturated fatty acids are associated with increased cancer risk. On the other hand, consumption of micronutrients such as vitamin D, selenium, zinc, folate and bioactive compounds from fruits and vegetables is associated with decreased risk. Written by an influential, international team of experts, this book presents and discusses current topics on nutrition and cancer prevention. It covers both nutritional influences on different cancers plus specific chapters on the commonly occurring cancers. Nutritional genomics-based studies show that some dietary components modulate carcinogenesis through complex cellular and molecular mechanisms. A better understanding of these different cellular and molecular mechanisms is needed to establish efficient dietary recommendations for cancer prevention. This book will provide such an understanding, serving as an important book for all those working in nutritional health, food science and cancer research.

These two volumes bring together a wide variety of studies concerning the role nutrition plays in the etiology of various types of cancer, namely, cancer of the esophagus, upper alimentary tract, pancreas, liver, colon, breast, and prostate. The purpose of each chapter is to provide a critical interpretive review of the area, to identify gaps and inconsistencies in present knowledge, and to suggest new areas for future research.

Abstract: A 2-volume reference set for nutrition and cancer research scientists, including epidemiologists, clinicians, and experimentalists, summarizes and discusses a wide variety of studies concerning the role of nutrition in the etiology of various types of cancer, highlighting the potential and limitations of epidemiology, clinical, and experimental studies. The first volume addresses the affects of macronutrients in cancer etiology and treatment, covering various specific cancers (gastric; pancreas; large bowel; colon; breast; prostate), including the role of dietary fat, essential fatty acids, prostaglandins, and fiber. The role of dietary fat in cancer risk also is reviewed. The second volume covers the role of micronutrients and nonnutritive dietary factors in several types of cancer (breast; esophagus), including retinoids, selenium, and other factors. Special attention also is given to cancer chemoprevention, fermented milk products as cancer inhibitors, the role of food mutagens and carcinogens, nitrosamines in foods, and the effects of alcohol consumption. The 19 review articles comprising this 2-volume set were prepared by experts in their fields.