Flavonoid-Rich Diet, Protects Against Colorectal Cancer

It might already be cliché to read or write about eating plenty of fruits and vegetables.

But looking at colorectal cancer statistics (363,000 new cases/per in Europe, estimated 945,000 globally, some 492,000 deaths/year) will scare many people and I guess we all will eat more fruits and vegetables if we’re told the doing so will lessen the risk of colorectal cancer.

That is actually the suggestion that a large Italian observational study came up with, because a diet rich in certain flavonoids (by eating plenty of fruits and vegetables) can reduce the risk of colorectal cancer by over 40%.

The European School of Oncology agrees that 80% of colorectal cancers can be prevented by dietary changes.

While interest in flavonoids is growing rapidly, research findings continue to report the cancer-fighting potential of a number of different flavonoids, such as isoflavones, anthocyanidins and flavonols.

Led by Marta Rossi from the Università degli Studi di Milano, the new case-control study recruited 1,953 cases of colorectal cancers (1,225 colon cancers and 728 rectal cancers) and 4,154 hospital controls admitted for acute non-cancerous diseases.

After adjusting the results for sex, age, family history of colorectal cancer, BMI, energy intake, education, alcohol consumption, and physical activity, the researchers calculated that the highest intake of flavonols was associated with a 46 per cent reduction in the risk of colorectal cancer, compared to people in the lowest intake group.

Similar risk reductions were calculated for isoflavones (24 per cent), anthocyanidins (43 per cent), and flavones (22 per cent), when comparing highest intake to lowest intake.

No significant benefit of flavan-3-ols, flavanones, and total flavonoids was observed, said the researchers.

The study which was not designed to determine the mechanism of such an effect and has several limitations but it not only showed the potential anti-cancer activity of certain flavonoids, but further highlights the five-a-day message for a healthy, balanced diet rich in fruit and vegetables.

Suffice to say, colorectal cancer is the most curable of cancers when diagnosed early. So eat up more fruits and vegetables.

Source: NutraIngredients