IMR Press / FBS / Volume 4 / Issue 1 / DOI: 10.2741/s254

Frontiers in Bioscience-Scholar (FBS) is published by IMR Press from Volume 13 Issue 1 (2021). Previous articles were published by another publisher on a subscription basis, and they are hosted by IMR Press on imrpress.com as a courtesy and upon agreement with Frontiers in Bioscience.

Review

Cancer chemoprevention by nuts: evidence and promises

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1 Queen Mary University of London, Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Blizard Institute of Cell and Molecular Science, Centre for Diabetes, Inositide Signalling Group, London E1 2AT, UK

*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.

 

Front. Biosci. (Schol Ed) 2012, 4(1), 109–120; https://doi.org/10.2741/s254
Published: 1 January 2012
Abstract

Chemoprevention is the use of chemical compounds to interfere with the early precancerous stages of carcinogenesis and thereby reverse tumor formation. Many chemopreventive agents, either natural or synthetic, have been identified. Some of the most promising compounds are found in vegetables and fruits. There are numerous mechanisms of action by which these components can intervene in the prevention of cancer, although they have not been fully elucidated. It is worth to note that some foods contain different bioactive compounds. Therefore the possibility exists that combinations of compounds, naturally occurring in those foods, may have a cumulative or even synergistic effect. Nuts are very rich in different bioactive compounds whose anti-cancer properties have already been described. Epidemiologic studies have already suggested that nuts consumption may be potentially beneficial in the incidence of other diseases, such as coronary heart disease and diabetes. Although the results are not conclusive, recent studies show possible cancer protective effects of nuts. This review will focus on the laboratory and clinical evidence of nuts chemopreventive and therapeutic properties.

Keywords
Cancer
Phytochemicals
Chemoprevention
Bioactive compounds
review
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