Table 5.

Potential micronutrients for future cancer prevention research.

Micronutrient	Hypothesized Mechanisms of Action	Proposed Research Approaches
Manganese	Antioxidant properties, involvement in enzyme systems	Conduct cohort studies to evaluate manganese's impact on specific types of cancer, explore interactions with other trace elements
Chromium	Enhancement of insulin sensitivity, affects lipid metabolism	Investigate potential roles in metabolic syndromes associated with increased cancer risk, use controlled trials to assess effects on cancer cell growth
Molybdenum	Crucial for several key enzymatic processes, including sulfite detoxification	Study the impact of molybdenum on liver and lung cancers, examine deficiency correlations in cancer populations
Boron	Role in cell membrane function and enzyme activity	Explore anti-cancer properties through animal models, evaluate dietary boron sources and cancer incidence relationships
Nickel	Involvement in DNA synthesis and cellular metabolism	Research cellular responses to nickel supplementation in pre-cancerous conditions, assess nickel's effect on gene expression in cancer cells
Silicon	Connective tissue strength, potential immune modulation	Conduct observational studies to link dietary silicon intake with lower cancer rates, particularly in digestive system cancers