Diet intervention for modifying cancer risk

Considerable evidence suggests that dietary differences between populations account for a significant proportion of the variation in cancer occurrence in different parts of the world. A major problem has been identifying the particular dietary components which predispose or protect individuals against cancer. For example, the high rates of breast and colon cancer in the United States have been associated with numerous dietary patterns including high fat, high dietary energy, and low fruit and vegetable intakes. Our laboratories have attempted to identify mechanisms whereby diet may modify cancer and it is anticipated that future studies will determine which of these potential mechanisms may be relevant in humans. A promising lead in understanding the mechanism of high dietary fat/high dietary energy promotion of cancer was the impact of these diets on cellular protein kinase C (PKC). PKC is important in cellular signaling events which are critical to tumor promotion. Our studies demonstrated increased PKC activity and/or protein expression observed in epidermis and pancreatic epithelial cells of rodents fed high fat/energy diets. The inverse association between cancer at a number of sites and fruit and vegetable intake may be due to both micronutrient and non-nutrient components of fruits and vegetables. We have studied the prevention of skin tumor promotion by apigenin, a plant flavonoid. Apigenin may block several points in the process of tumor promotion, including inhibiting kinases, reducing transcription factors and regulating cell cycle. The complexity of our diets and the multitude of potential dietary effects which may be important in cancer development make this a fertile area for future study.