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 34,133 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Selenium is an essential trace element that is an integral part of many proteins, with catalytic and structural functions. The antioxidant properties of some selenoproteins, such as glutathione peroxidase, may be particularly important in carcinogenesis and heart disease. The content of selenium in food depends on the selenium content of the soil where the plants are grown or the animals are raised. Moreover, the metabolism of selenium is determined by its dietary form: some forms are better utilized than others. Therefore, wide variations have been found in selenium status in different parts of the world. In animal studies, selenium deficiency is associated with cardiomyopathy and sudden death, as well as reduced T-cell counts and impaired lymphocyte proliferation and responsiveness. Abnormalities in liver function, brain, heart, striated muscle, pancreas and genital tract have also been reported. In humans, selenium deficiency has been implicated in the etiology of cardiovascular disease and other conditions in which oxidative stress and inflammation are prominent features, but there is still only limited evidence from epidemiological and ecological studies for this, and the therapeutic benefit of selenium administration in the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular diseases remains insufficiently documented. Interventions studies are currently in progress to assess the benefits of selenium supplements in primary and secondary prevention of atherosclerosis. The results to date are inconclusive and further controlled trials are needed.
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PMID:The controversy surrounding selenium and cardiovascular disease: a review of the evidence. 1255 53

The role of fruit and vegetables in human nutrition and public health are taken into account in most nutritional recommendations. Fruit and vegetables contain an abundance of phenolic substances, terpenoids and other natural antioxidants that have been associated with protection from and treatment of chronic diseases such as heart disease or cancer. Terpenoids are a group of substances which occur in nearly every natural food. Their main subclasses discussed as beneficial to maintain and improve health are monoterpenes (like limonene, carvone or carveol), diterpenes (including the retinoids), and tetraterpenes (which include all different carotenoids like alpha- and beta-carotene, lutein, lycopene, zeaxanthine and cryptoxanthine). To be discussed as health promoting or biofunctional, the significant impact of a substance either on human metabolism or on well-defined and appropriate biomarkers must be shown. Based on the latter point, this paper reviews the literature on mono-, di- and tetraterpenes, with special focus on their impact on human health to answer the question of their biofunctionality. Special emphasis will be placed on their different mode of action, e.g. to affect oxidative stress, carcinogenesis and cardiovascular diseases.
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PMID:Biological relevance of terpenoids. Overview focusing on mono-, di- and tetraterpenes. 1274 59

Epidemiological and experimental studies suggest that antioxidants like vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol) may play an important role in prevention of chronic disease. Several observational surveys have linked populations with a large intake of vitamin E with reduced incidence of heart disease. These observations have been strengthened by the demonstration of strong antioxidant activity by vitamin E in cellular, molecular and animal experiments. These results have highlighted a potential role for vitamin E supplementation in the prevention of chronic disease in humans. Interestingly however, large-scale clinical trials of vitamin E and other antioxidants in preventing specific disease processes (e.g., coronary artery disease) have generated conflicting and mixed outcomes. In this review, the role of vitamin E in the prevention of atherosclerosis and carcinogenesis has been carefully examined with particular emphasis on salient human studies (clinical trials) and their limitations. In addition, pertinent biochemical, physiological and metabolic features of vitamin E have also been incorporated. A list of common natural food sources of vitamin E has been provided. Important in vitro and animal studies related to the antiatherosclerotic and anticarcinogenic actions of vitamin E have been discussed in detail. Finally, the direction of future investigations in primary and secondary prevention of chronic diseases by vitamin E supplementation has been outlined.
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PMID:Vitamin E and its role in the prevention of atherosclerosis and carcinogenesis: a review. 1289 39

Soy infant formula contains high levels of the isoflavones, genistein and daidzein, which are commonly referred to as phytoestrogens. These are non-steroidal chemicals with structural similarities to estrogen. Infants consuming soy formula have high levels of circulating isoflavones. These are an order of magnitude greater than the levels of isoflavones which have been shown to produce physiological effects in adult women consuming a high soy diet. There is conflicting evidence about the risks and benefits of soy phytoestrogens, with research presenting a contradictory picture. Some reviewers suggest that early exposure to soy may prevent cancer and heart disease. However, there is very little research on the effects of consumption of soy phytoestrogens by human neonates. Against this generally positive view there is an increasing number of recent reports that suggest that in experimental animals, phytoestrogens have adverse effects with respect to carcinogenesis, reproductive function, immune function, and thyroid disease. Despite the absence of adequate scientific research that quantifies the level of risk to infants, most would argue for a precautionary approach to be taken in situations where there are potential developmental effects from the consumption of pharmacologically active compounds in infancy and childhood.
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PMID:Soy infant formula and phytoestrogens. 1291 90

Consumption of tea (Camellia sinensis) has been suggested to prevent cancer, heart disease and other diseases. Animal studies have shown that tea and tea constituents inhibit carcinogenesis of the skin, lung, oral cavity, esophagus, stomach, liver, prostate and other organs. In some studies, the inhibition correlated with an increase in tumor cell apoptosis and a decrease in cell proliferation. Studies with human cancer cell lines have demonstrated that epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), a major tea polyphenol, inhibits mitogen-activated protein kinases, cyclin-dependent kinases, growth factor-related cell signaling, activation of activator protein 1 (AP-1) and nuclear factor kappaB (NFkappaB), topoisomerase I and matrix metalloproteinases as well as other potential targets. Although some studies report effects of EGCG at submicromolar levels, most experiments require concentrations of >10 or 20 micromol/L to demonstrate the effect. In humans, tea polyphenols undergo glucuronidation, sulfation, methylation, and ring fission. The peak plasma concentration of EGCG is approximately 1 micromol/L. The possible relevance of each of the proposed mechanisms to human cancer prevention is discussed in light of current bioavailability data for tea polyphenols and the potential limitations of animal models of carcinogenesis. Such discussion, it is hoped, will clarify some misunderstandings of cancer prevention by tea and stimulate new research efforts.
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PMID:Mechanisms of cancer prevention by tea constituents. 1451 24

Preventive medicine is becoming a cornerstone in our concept of health. This is especially significant in regard to cancer, as cancer is predicted to become the leading cause of death, surpassing heart disease, by the end of this decade. The prevention of colorectal cancer (CRC) has become an important public health goal because of the high incidence of CRC, with more than 945,000 new cases expected worldwide in 2006, and the considerable mortality and morbidity associated, with more than 492,000 deaths expected worldwide in the same year. The past 2 decades have seen the emergence of chemopreventive agents that have 1 of 3 effects: inhibiting, delaying, or reversing carcinogenesis. Notwithstanding a substantial body of evidence suggesting an inverse relationship between aspirin or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug use and CRC incidence and mortality, the use of traditional nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs in the chemoprevention of CRC is limited by their gastrointestinal toxicity. The favorable gastrointestinal safety profile of selective cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitors has therefore made them particularly attractive for this purpose. There has been concern, however, that selective cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitors may increase the risk of cardiovascular events, possibly by reducing endothelial prostacyclin production while leaving platelet thromboxane A2 generation unopposed. In the intriguing jigsaw puzzle of cancer prevention, we now have a definite positive answer for the basic question "if," but several other parts of the equation (proper patient selection, ultimate drug, optimal dosage, and duration) are missing. The most challenging task is to find the proper place for these interventions in the entire effort of cancer prevention, in subjects at risk for colorectal neoplasia, and in those at risk for other tumors. The achievement of this important goal may contribute to the conversion of CRC into a truly preventable disease.
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PMID:Coxibs and cancer prevention. 1678 35

The possibility of links between psychosocial factors and cancer incidence and progression has generated considerable scientific and public interest. Tachykinins, including substance P, neurokinin A and B, hemokinin-1 and endokinins, are a family of neuropeptides, acting through three types of transmembrane G-protein coupled receptors denoted NK1, NK2 and NK3. Besides their role as neurotransmitters in peripheral and central nervous system, tachykinins and their receptors are also expressed in several non neuronal cells contributing to the fine connections between nervous systems and peripheral organ system such as respiratory, cardiovascular, immune, endocrine, gastrointestinal and genitourinary. Being so much involved in regulating physiological functions, they, of course, can concur to pathological conditions including cancer. Tachykinins can act on different steps of carcinogenesis. Tumors expressing NK receptors, such as astrocytoma, glioma, neuroblastoma, pancreatic cancer and melanoma, can misuse tachykinin-induced signaling, operating in normal cells, to promote proliferation and survival of cancer cells and to release cytokines and soluble mediators favoring tumor growth. In neuroblastoma, breast and prostate carcinomas tachykinins facilitate tumor metastatic infiltration in the bone marrow. In neuroendocrine carcinoma, tachykinins are responsible of symptoms associated with these pathologies including flushing, diarrhea, wheezing and right heart disease. In addition, regardless tumor histology, tachykinins may favor cancer incidence and metastatic progression by influencing blood flux and neovascularization in tumor formation as well as inducing immunosuppression mediated by neurogenic inflammation due to stress or surgery. However, the precise involvement of tachykinins in cancer pathologies and the potentiality to become effective pharmacological drug targets remain to be fully defined.
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PMID:Tachykinins and their receptors in human malignancies. 1691 32

The chronology of lifetime publications authored and/or co-authored by Dr. Ernst L. Wynder spans a rich assortment of topics relating to the etiology and prevention of chronic diseases. Dr. Wynder's interdisciplinary approach to research in cancer and heart disease embraces the disciplines of epidemiology, biology, pathology, chemistry, biochemistry, tobacco sciences, and nutrition as well as health behavior, and health education. His works reflect his attention to diverse subjects from methodology in scientific endeavors, to mechanisms in carcinogenesis, brain development, alternative medicine, principles of disease prevention, history of medicine, and societal issues, as well as philosophy, and religion. In 1972 Dr. Wynder created the journal Preventive Medicine as an international forum for the exchange of ideas that address the promotion of health and prevention of disease in our time. Many of his ideas were developed and nurtured in the symposia and workshops the Journal has published.
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PMID:The full bibliography of Ernst Ludwig Wynder. 1700 15

My hypothesis is that higher female sensitivity to increased n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids and their carcinogenic effect may contribute to the recent Israeli 'cancer shift' over heart disease mortality (23.1 vs. 22.3%, 1999). High n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acid intake was the presumed dietary risk underlying the 'Israeli paradox', the unexpected gap between 'ill' health and 'good' diet. Scientific literature and population health surveillance reports were reviewed. Cancer death rates for Israeli Arabs, who consumed a more traditional Mediterranean diet - more monounsaturated fatty acids, mostly olive oil, and less n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids - are still 1.1-1.7 times (men-women) lower than in Israeli Jews, but are increasing faster (23.6 and 5.1% vs. 5.3 and -3.3%, 1980-2000), concurrently with dietary 'Israelization' - specifically, increased intake of n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids. Israeli-Jewish women attained an earlier, much larger (29 vs. 7%, 1999) 'cancer : heart disease mortality shift' (ratio >1.0), ranked much worse for cancer (15th/44 European countries) than men (37th) and heart disease (38th and 34th, respectively), and had much higher cancer prevalence (1 : 3) than Israeli-Arab women (1 : 6), though dietary compositions were similar, save for higher n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acid and polyunsaturated fatty acid : monounsaturated fatty acid ratio. Population studies of Israeli Jews, Arabs, and women support the association of high n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acid intake with increased cancer risk and higher female sensitivity. Research findings suggest that gender and sex hormones may influence n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acid metabolism and carcinogenesis. This appears to be the first time gender has been proposed to modulate national cancer epidemiology, suggesting implications for differential nutritional prevention, warranting further research.
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PMID:Israeli 'cancer shift' over heart disease mortality may be led by greater risk in women with high intake of n-6 fatty acids. 1792 22

Obesity and overweight have become major medical and social problems. Both are increasing worldwide; two-thirds of the population in developed countries is obese or overweight. Obesity has been associated with many comorbidities, including diabetes and heart disease. Studies have also found that obesity is one of the risk factors involved in increased cancer incidence. Many obesity-related factors are responsible, including increased blood levels of insulin/IGF, IL-6, TNF-alpha, and leptin, and decreased blood levels of adiponectin. Recently, it has been shown that IL-17 levels increase in obese patients. IL-17 is well known to increase carcinogenesis; thus, increased IL-17 levels in obesity may contribute to increased cancer incidence in obesity. IL-17 could activate Src/PI3K, MAPK, Stat3, and PKC, resulting in carcinogenesis. It may also change the microenvironment of tumors. Thus, inhibition of IL-17 may have preventive and therapeutic implications in obese patients.
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PMID:The possible role of IL-17 in obesity-associated cancer. 2110 95


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