Naturally-Occuring Quercetin Reduce Pancreatic Cancer Risks

A recent study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology found out that quercetin, a flavonol naturally-occurring in large amounts in apples and onions, can help reduce the the risk of pancreatic cancer.

Researchers from Germany, the Univ. of Hawaii and Univ. of Southern California tracked food intake and health outcomes of 183,518 participants in the Multiethnic Cohort Study for eight years. The study evaluated the participants’ food consumption and calculated the intake of the three flavonols quercetin, kaempferol, and myricetin. The analyses determined that flavonol intake does have an impact on the risk for developing pancreatic cancer.

Smokers with the lowest intake of flavonols presented with the most pancreatic cancer. Smoking is an established risk factor for the often fatal pancreatic cancer, notes the research.

Among the other findings were that women had the highest intake of total flavonols and seventy percent of the flavonol intake came from quercetin, linked to apple and onion consumption.

These flavonols are believed to exert their anti-cancer effects due to their ability to reduce oxidative stress and alter other cellular functions related to cancer development. These compounds are also found on other plant foods such as apples, onions, tea, berries, kale, and broccoli, but quercetin is highest in apples and onions.