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Cancer
Quercetin: Why An Apple A Day Could Keep Pancreatic Cancer At Bay
Date: 29/08/03
Keywords: Pancreatic Cancer, Nutrition
UCLA researchers decided to examine the preventative effects of natural antioxidants on pancreatic cancer. They knew that quercetin, a powerful antioxidant found in apples, had shown promising cancer-fighting potential against other types of cancer. So they set out to determine how quercetin and three other food-derived compounds might impact on pancreatic cancer...Research findings from the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) in the US, have revealed a potential new weapon in the war against pancreatic cancer, one of the deadliest forms of the disease.
The study, published in the International Journal of Cancer, reports that a specific antioxidant compound found in apples slowed the growth and curbed the spread of pancreatic cancer cells in mice.
Of course, further studies will be required to determine if the compound can treat or prevent cancer in humans, but the results of this study take a promising first step in that direction.
Antioxidants to the rescue... once again
Each year about 6,700 people in the UK are diagnosed with pancreatic cancer - and for most, by the time it's detected, there's little that can be done. Pancreatic cancer is often considered a silent disease - hard to detect and diagnose, and nearly impossible to treat, unless it is caught very early. That's what makes prevention efforts all the more important.
With that in mind, the UCLA researchers decided to examine the preventative effects of natural antioxidants on pancreatic cancer. They knew that quercetin, a powerful antioxidant found in apples, had shown promising cancer-fighting potential against other types of cancer. So they set out to determine how quercetin and three other food-derived compounds might impact on pancreatic cancer.
Their study was divided into two phases. The first measured the effects of quercetin on pancreatic cancer in a strain of mice specially bred to have no immune system. Human pancreatic cells were introduced into the mice, and cancer cells were injected.
Mice treated with quercetin survived an average of 34 percent longer than untreated mice. The quercetin effectively inhibited the spread of malignant cells and triggered apoptosis, a series of reactions that cause cancer cells to self-destruct.
The second phase of their study investigated the effects of several different plant-based polyphenols on pancreatic cancer cells. Rutin, found in green tea; trans-resveratrol, found in grapes and wine; genistein, found in soybeans; and quercetin were each combined with pancreatic cancer cells in a laboratory.
Except for rutin, all of the polyphenols exhibited potent cancer-fighting properties. In both phases, the researchers concluded that polyphenol antioxidants like quercetin could inhibit pancreatic cancer growth.
Apple polishing
As I mentioned above, pancreatic cancer is one of the most deadly cancers. Often, by the time symptoms occur and a diagnosis is made, the cancer has spread, and by then it is too late to treat it effectively.
But there are steps you can take to avoid pancreatic cancer. Modifying lifestyle factors like cigarette smoking and obesity can significantly decrease your risk of pancreatic cancer.
Now it seems eating more apples, and adding more natural antioxidants into your meals, could be another important step.
More research is needed before we can say definitively that quercetin and other polyphenols have therapeutic value against pancreatic cancer.
But in the meantime, it certainly can't hurt to grab a Granny Smith when you're looking for a snack. After all, we've heard for years that they keep the doctor away. Maybe now we know why.
Back to topThe study, published in the International Journal of Cancer, reports that a specific antioxidant compound found in apples slowed the growth and curbed the spread of pancreatic cancer cells in mice.
Of course, further studies will be required to determine if the compound can treat or prevent cancer in humans, but the results of this study take a promising first step in that direction.
Antioxidants to the rescue... once again
Each year about 6,700 people in the UK are diagnosed with pancreatic cancer - and for most, by the time it's detected, there's little that can be done. Pancreatic cancer is often considered a silent disease - hard to detect and diagnose, and nearly impossible to treat, unless it is caught very early. That's what makes prevention efforts all the more important.
With that in mind, the UCLA researchers decided to examine the preventative effects of natural antioxidants on pancreatic cancer. They knew that quercetin, a powerful antioxidant found in apples, had shown promising cancer-fighting potential against other types of cancer. So they set out to determine how quercetin and three other food-derived compounds might impact on pancreatic cancer.
Their study was divided into two phases. The first measured the effects of quercetin on pancreatic cancer in a strain of mice specially bred to have no immune system. Human pancreatic cells were introduced into the mice, and cancer cells were injected.
Mice treated with quercetin survived an average of 34 percent longer than untreated mice. The quercetin effectively inhibited the spread of malignant cells and triggered apoptosis, a series of reactions that cause cancer cells to self-destruct.
The second phase of their study investigated the effects of several different plant-based polyphenols on pancreatic cancer cells. Rutin, found in green tea; trans-resveratrol, found in grapes and wine; genistein, found in soybeans; and quercetin were each combined with pancreatic cancer cells in a laboratory.
Except for rutin, all of the polyphenols exhibited potent cancer-fighting properties. In both phases, the researchers concluded that polyphenol antioxidants like quercetin could inhibit pancreatic cancer growth.
Apple polishing
As I mentioned above, pancreatic cancer is one of the most deadly cancers. Often, by the time symptoms occur and a diagnosis is made, the cancer has spread, and by then it is too late to treat it effectively.
But there are steps you can take to avoid pancreatic cancer. Modifying lifestyle factors like cigarette smoking and obesity can significantly decrease your risk of pancreatic cancer.
Now it seems eating more apples, and adding more natural antioxidants into your meals, could be another important step.
More research is needed before we can say definitively that quercetin and other polyphenols have therapeutic value against pancreatic cancer.
But in the meantime, it certainly can't hurt to grab a Granny Smith when you're looking for a snack. After all, we've heard for years that they keep the doctor away. Maybe now we know why.
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