Fruits, Vegetables And Teas May Protect Smokers From Lung Cancer

Fruits, Vegetables And Teas May Protect Smokers From Lung Cancer, Researchers Report: "ScienceDaily
2008.05.29
— Tobacco smokers who eat three servings of fruits and vegetables per day and drink green or black tea may be protecting themselves from lung cancer, according to a first-of-its-kind study by UCLA cancer researchers...flavonoids that appeared to be the most protective included catechin, found in strawberries and green and black teas, kaempferol, found in Brussels sprouts and apples, and quercetin, found in beans, onions and apples...flavonoids protect against lung cancer by blocking the formation of blood vessels that tumors develop so they can grow and spread, a process called angiogenesis. They also stop cancer cells from growing, allowing for naturally programmed cell death, or apoptosis, to occur...The antioxidant properties found in the flavonoids also may work to counteract the DNA damaging effects of tobacco smoking, Zhang said, explaining why they affected the development of lung cancer in smokers but not in non-smokers..."The naturally occurring chemicals may be working to reduce the damage caused by smoking," Zhang said."

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Next generation antioxidant test puts blueberry at number one

Next generation antioxidant test puts blueberry at number one - NutraIngredients.com
2007.11.19
"A new study using the cellular antioxidant activity (CAA) assay, dubbed the 'next step' in quantifying antioxidant activity, has added to reports of blueberry's antioxidant prowess...The test moves the quantification of antioxidant activity from the test tube to measuring bioactivity inside cells, and marks an advance in the understanding and activity of antioxidants... blueberry topped the CAA rankings, followed by cranberry, apple, red grape, and finally green grape...A test of select phytochemicals, the researchers reported that quercetin had the highest CAA value, followed by kaempferol, epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), myricetin, and luteolin, respectively..."The CAA assay is a more biologically relevant method than the popular chemistry antioxidant activity assays because it accounts for some aspects of uptake, metabolism, and location of antioxidant compounds within cells," wrote Wolfe and Liu...Previously, the antioxidant activity of selected compounds has been measured using a range of lab-based assays, including the ferric reducing ability of plasma (FRAP) assay, the oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) and Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity (TEAC)..."How useful the assay will be in predicting in vivo uptake and availability of dietary antioxidants remains to be determined with further research."... "

But why might all these tests be mostly useless? Because an increase in dietary antioxidants can sometimes come at the cost of a decrease in endogenous antioxidants. The end result? You age faster. Seems contradictory right? Not if you factor in the innate feedback system within mammals. What we need to understand is which antioxidants also come with the added chemistry to fight cancer, diabetes, heart disease, stroke and so on. Cocoa is not capable of doing so many wonderful things to our health merely because it fights free radicals. Instead it regulates nitric oxide, amongst other things. Take away that and other physiologic changes that chocolate causes, and keep its antioxidant ability and there's little to get excited about. I hope researchers in the field of antioxidant research begin to develop a more comprehensive view of antioxidants, rather than just look at free radicals and the ability to prevent the damage from them via diet. Turmeric and cocoa are prime candidates to explore the more complex nature of antioxidants - that they can fundamentally alter a variety of processes in mammalian physiology that can have dramatic effects on health and longevity.

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Quercetin might help fight bacteria and viruses

100 apples a day could keep the doctor away Daily Mail
2007.09.13
"...DARPA, the Pentagon's research arm, has been sponsoring studies into whether quercetin could be used to help protect US troops...The latest trial saw 40 male cyclists either given one gram of the flavenoid every day - equal to eating 100 apples - or a placebo for three weeks...According to an article in the New Scientist journal, the cyclists spent a three-day period training at maximum intensity for three hours a day. Two weeks later, nine of the cyclists in the placebo group had chest infections while only one of the quercetin group was ill...Tests showed the cyclists taking the supplement had high levels of quercetin in their blood...The scientist believes quercetin's ability to bind to viruses and bacteria to stop them replicating had stopped the cyclists getting sick...cyclists had reduced levels of IL-8, a chemical that helps mediate the immune response to antigens, indicating the flavenoid could also be influencing the immune system in some way." "

Quercetin drink launched to boost health

More info on Quercetin at PDR Health.

So who do you think is doing more advanced research on nutraceuticals - Darpa, or institutions supporting professional athletes performances? In the case of quercetin it seems clear the answer is Darpa. So who knows? A year ago I would have said that athletics has the edge, but maybe not now. Certainly I bet Darpa has the edge over almost everyone else when it comes to nootropic research. Alas, other than provigil, which is old news, most of it remains under lock and key.

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Apples and onions may slash pancreatic cancer risk

Apples and onions may slash pancreatic cancer risk NutraIngredients.com
2007.10.01
"A diet rich in flavonols from foods such as onions, apples and berries may cut the risk of developing pancreatic cancer by about 25 per cent...The results, published in the American Journal of Epidemiology, indicate that the benefits may be even more pronounced amongst smokers, with a risk reduction of over 59 per cent...The reason for the apparent added benefits for smokers was presumed to be due to smokers being at an increased risk of pancreatic cancer...The researchers also stated that theirs is the first study to examine prospectively specific classes of flavonols (quercetin, found in onions and apples; kaempferol, found in spinach and some cabbages; and myricetin, found mostly in red onions and berries) and pancreatic cancer risk. "...Of the three individual flavonols, they report that kaempferol was associated with the largest risk reduction (22 per cent) across all participants. The interaction with smoking status was statistically significant for total flavonols, quercetin and kaempferol... the researcher indicated that the anti-cancer effects of these compounds may lie in their ability to the inhibit cell cycle, cell proliferation and oxidative stress..."

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Organic fruit and vegetables may be better for you than conventionally grown crops

Organic food 'better' for heart BBC 7/5/07 "A ten-year study comparing organic tomatoes with standard produce found almost double the level of flavonoids - a type of antioxidant.
Flavonoids have been shown to reduce high blood pressure, lowering the risk of heart disease and stroke...Dr Alyson Mitchell, a food chemist at the University of California, and colleagues measured the amount of two flavonoids - quercetin and kaempferol - in dried tomato samples that had been collected as part of a long-term study on agricultural methods...on average they were 79% and 97% higher respectively in the organic tomatoes than in the conventionally grown fruit...New Scientist magazine reported that the different levels of flavonoids in tomatoes are probably due to the absence of fertilisers in organic farming. Flavonoids are produced as a defence mechanism that can be triggered by nutrient deficiency, such as a lack of nitrogen in the soil. The inorganic nitrogen in conventional fertiliser is easily available to plants and so, the researchers suggests, the lower levels of flavonoids are probably caused by over-fertilisation."

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Flavonols seem to lower chance of getting pancreatic cancer

Flavonols may help ward off pancreatic cancer Reuters/Yahoo!News " look at the eating patterns of 183,518 California and Hawaii residents has found evidence that a diet high in flavonols might help ward off pancreatic cancer...Flavonols are found in plant-based foods with onions, apples, berries, kale, and broccoli having the highest concentrations...People who had the largest amount of flavonols in their diet -- measured with a "food frequency" questionnaire -- had a 23-percent lower risk of developing pancreatic cancer compared with people with the lowest levels, Dr. Ute Nthlings from the German Institute of Human Nutrition Potsdam-Rehbruecke reported...Smokers benefited most, presumably because they are at high risk for pancreatic cancer already. Smokers who ate the most flavonols reduced their risk of developing pancreatic cancer by 59 percent...Of the three individual flavonols studied (kaempferol, quercetin and myricetin), kaempferol, abundant in spinach and some cabbages, was associated with the largest risk reduction (22 percent) among all study subjects... the anti-cancer effects of these compounds, in general, have been attributed to their ability to inhibit cell growth and oxidative stress, and induce detoxification enzymes and programmed cell death..."

A major rethink of the way certain antioxidants work needs to happen. To cause apoptosis, or to limit blood flow to cancers is not merely a function of limiting free radical damage in the body. Certain "antioxidants" are obviously much, much more than antioxidants. They redirect the functioning of specific parts of the body, often in a beneficial way. Just take a look at the myriad functions of EGCG, or curcumin in the human body and it becomes apparent that their antioxidant ability appears to be only a small part of their function. It seems we need another word for such compounds. But what? At least we can agree to rule out adaptogen right? Something more grounded in science and with a specific definition that refers to specific functioning of such compounds. We can dress it in old, latiny roots. The anti-rolemodel is... "An adaptogen produces a nonspecific response in the body..." lovely.

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