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Diet as a Potential Moderator for Genome Stability and Immune Response in Pediatric Leukemia
Shanshan Wang1, Christopher A Maxwell1,2, Neha M Akella1
1Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6H 3V4, Canada.
Insights
Diet influences childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) risk and progression. Maternal and infant nutrition, including breastfeeding, impacts genome stability and immunity, potentially reducing ALL incidence and aiding treatment.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric oncology
- Nutritional science
- Immunology
Background:
- Childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is a leading pediatric cancer.
- Diet is recognized as a potential factor influencing disease incidence and progression.
- Early life nutrition, encompassing prenatal and postnatal stages, is critical for development.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the role of diet in the incidence and progression of childhood ALL.
- To explore how maternal and infant diets affect genome stability and immunity in early development.
- To examine dietary interventions for children with ALL.
Main Methods:
- Literature review focusing on diet, genome stability, immunity, and childhood ALL.
- Analysis of studies on maternal diet, birth weight, and ALL risk.
- Examination of research on breastfeeding and its association with ALL.
- Review of dietary regimens for ALL patients, including animal and human studies.
Main Results:
- Maternal diet influences fetal genome stability and immune development, with higher birth weights linked to increased ALL risk.
- Breastfeeding is associated with a decreased risk of childhood ALL.
- Specific dietary regimens can alter the hormonal environment, potentially inhibiting leukemic clone evolution in ALL patients.
Conclusions:
- Diet plays a significant role in modulating the risk and progression of childhood ALL.
- Prenatal and postnatal nutrition are crucial for immune and genomic health, impacting ALL development.
- Dietary strategies may offer a novel approach for managing childhood ALL by influencing metabolism and immunity.
Abstract:
Pediatric leukemias are the most prevalent cancers affecting children in developed societies, with childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) being the most common subtype. As diet is a likely modulator of many diseases, this review focuses on the potential for diet to influence the incidence and progression of childhood ALL. In particular, the potential effect of diets on genome stability and immunity during the prenatal and postnatal stages of early childhood development are discussed. Maternal diet plays an integral role in shaping the bodily composition of the newborn, and thus may influence fetal genome stability and immune system development. Indeed, higher birth weights of newborns are associated with increased risk of ALL, which suggests in-utero biology may shape the evolution of preleukemic clones. Postnatally, the ingestion of maternal breastmilk both nourishes the infant, and provides essential components that strengthen and educate the developing immune system. Consistently, breast-feeding associates with decreased risk of ALL development. For children already suffering from ALL, certain dietary regimens have been proposed. These regimens, which have been validated in both animals and humans, alter the internal hormonal environment. Thus, hormonal regulation by diet may shape childhood metabolism and immunity in a manner that is detrimental to the evolution or expansion of preleukemic and leukemic ALL clones.
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