Volumes of well documented scientific studies now provide conclusive evidence that many forms of potentially deadly cancers develop as the result of dietary or lifestyle influences, and can be prevented or even treated with relatively simple modifications and by utilizing a host of natural nutrients. One of the primary methods used by cancer cells to develop and spread is a unique ability to 'trick' our innate immune response and avoid elimination through the natural process known as apoptosis.
A research team from the University of Ohio, publishing the results of a study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences has found that a compound abundant in the Mediterranean diet takes away cancer cells' 'superpower' to escape death. Scientists discovered that by altering a very specific step in gene regulation, this compound essentially re-educates cancer cells to revert back to normal cells that die as scheduled. The compound, known as apigenin is found in abundance in many plant-based foods frequently found in the Mediterranean diet that include chamomile tea, celery and parsley, among a host of other leafy green vegetables.
Apigenin from fresh vegetables encourages normal cancer cell death cycle
Many past studies have shown a causal relationship between consumption of specific nutrients and reduction in disease risk. In this work, scientists determined that apigenin binds with an estimated 160 proteins in the human body, suggesting that other nutrients linked to health benefits, commonly known as "nutraceuticals", might have similar far-reaching effects. By contrast, pharmaceuticals target a single molecule in the body and always produce side effects.
Lead study author, Dr. Andrea Doseff noted "We know we need to eat healthfully, but in most cases we don't know the actual mechanistic reasons for why we need to do that... we see here that the beneficial effect on health is attributed to this dietary nutrient affecting many proteins... apigenin re-establishes the normal profile in cancer cells... we think this can have great value clinically as a potential cancer-prevention strategy." An important finding is that apigenin influences the activity of messenger RNA, a critical component that provides the blueprint for protein construction.
Dr. Doseff concluded "So by applying this nutrient, we can activate the [cancer cell] killing machinery... this suggests that when we eat healthfully, we are actually promoting more normal splice forms inside the cells in our bodies." Nutrition experts recommend consuming five to nine daily servings of fresh vegetables to lower the risk of many chronic diseases. Increasing intake of apigenin directly influences the life cycle of cancer cells to dramatically lower the risk of many forms of cancer.
