Skip to main content
PMC home page
Environmental Health Perspectives logoLink to Environmental Health Perspectives
. 1995 Nov;103(Suppl 8):177–184. doi: 10.1289/ehp.95103s8177

Dietary modifiers of carcinogenesis.

L Kohlmeier 1, N Simonsen 1, K Mottus 1
PMCID: PMC1518962  PMID: 8741780

Abstract

Dietary components express a wide range of activities that can affect carcinogenesis. Naturally occurring substances in foods have been shown in laboratory experiments to serve as dietary antimutagens, either as bioantimutagens or as desmutagens. Dietary desmutagens may function as chemical inactivaters, enzymatic inducers, scavengers, or antioxidants. Dietary components may also act later in the carcinogenic process as tumor growth suppressors. Examples of dietary factors acting in each of these stages of carcinogenesis are presented, and potential anticarcinogens such as the carotenoids, tocopherols, phenolic compounds, glucosinolates, metal-binding proteins, phytoestrogens, and conjugated linoleic acid are discussed. Individual foods typically contain multiple potential anticarcinogens. Many of these substances can influence carcinogenesis through more than one mechanism. Some substances exhibit both anticarcinogenic and carcinogenic activity in vitro, depending on conditions. Epidemiologic research indicates that high fruit and vegetable consumption is associated with lower cancer risk. Little research has focused on the effects of single substances or single foods in man. Realization of the potential of foodborne substances to reduce the human burden of cancer will only be achieved with better measurement of dietary exposures and funding of multidisciplinary research in this area commensurate with its importance.

Full text

PDF
177

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Ames B. N., Gold L. S. Endogenous mutagens and the causes of aging and cancer. Mutat Res. 1991 Sep-Oct;250(1-2):3–16. doi: 10.1016/0027-5107(91)90157-j. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Ames B. N., Shigenaga M. K., Hagen T. M. Oxidants, antioxidants, and the degenerative diseases of aging. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1993 Sep 1;90(17):7915–7922. doi: 10.1073/pnas.90.17.7915. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Austoker J. Diet and cancer. BMJ. 1994 Jun 18;308(6944):1610–1614. doi: 10.1136/bmj.308.6944.1610. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Baker M. E. Evolution of regulation of steroid-mediated intercellular communication in vertebrates: insights from flavonoids, signals that mediate plant-rhizobia symbiosis. J Steroid Biochem Mol Biol. 1992 Mar;41(3-8):301–308. doi: 10.1016/0960-0760(92)90355-m. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Bertram J. S., Kolonel L. N., Meyskens F. L., Jr Rationale and strategies for chemoprevention of cancer in humans. Cancer Res. 1987 Jun 1;47(11):3012–3031. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Block G., Patterson B., Subar A. Fruit, vegetables, and cancer prevention: a review of the epidemiological evidence. Nutr Cancer. 1992;18(1):1–29. doi: 10.1080/01635589209514201. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Block G. Vitamin C and cancer prevention: the epidemiologic evidence. Am J Clin Nutr. 1991 Jan;53(1 Suppl):270S–282S. doi: 10.1093/ajcn/53.1.270S. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Bresnick E., Birt D. F., Wolterman K., Wheeler M., Markin R. S. Reduction in mammary tumorigenesis in the rat by cabbage and cabbage residue. Carcinogenesis. 1990 Jul;11(7):1159–1163. doi: 10.1093/carcin/11.7.1159. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Bresnick E., Birt D. F., Wolterman K., Wheeler M., Markin R. S. Reduction in mammary tumorigenesis in the rat by cabbage and cabbage residue. Carcinogenesis. 1990 Jul;11(7):1159–1163. doi: 10.1093/carcin/11.7.1159. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Bueding E., Ansher S., Dolan P. Carcinogenic and other protective effects of dithiolthiones. Basic Life Sci. 1986;39:483–489. doi: 10.1007/978-1-4684-5182-5_42. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Burk R. F. Protection against free radical injury by selenoenzymes. Pharmacol Ther. 1990;45(3):383–385. doi: 10.1016/0163-7258(90)90073-b. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Burk R. F. Recent developments in trace element metabolism and function: newer roles of selenium in nutrition. J Nutr. 1989 Jul;119(7):1051–1054. doi: 10.1093/jn/119.7.1051. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Byers T., Perry G. Dietary carotenes, vitamin C, and vitamin E as protective antioxidants in human cancers. Annu Rev Nutr. 1992;12:139–159. doi: 10.1146/annurev.nu.12.070192.001035. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Canfield L. M., Forage J. W., Valenzuela J. G. Carotenoids as cellular antioxidants. Proc Soc Exp Biol Med. 1992 Jun;200(2):260–265. doi: 10.3181/00379727-200-43431. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Cerutti P., Shah G., Peskin A., Amstad P. Oxidant carcinogenesis and antioxidant defense. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 1992 Nov 21;663:158–166. doi: 10.1111/j.1749-6632.1992.tb38659.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Chung F. L., Morse M. A., Eklind K. I. New potential chemopreventive agents for lung carcinogenesis of tobacco-specific nitrosamine. Cancer Res. 1992 May 1;52(9 Suppl):2719s–2722s. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Clarke C. H., Shankel D. M. Antimutagenesis in microbial systems. Bacteriol Rev. 1975 Mar;39(1):33–53. doi: 10.1128/br.39.1.33-53.1975. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Davis D. L., Bradlow H. L., Wolff M., Woodruff T., Hoel D. G., Anton-Culver H. Medical hypothesis: xenoestrogens as preventable causes of breast cancer. Environ Health Perspect. 1993 Oct;101(5):372–377. doi: 10.1289/ehp.93101372. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Di Mascio P., Murphy M. E., Sies H. Antioxidant defense systems: the role of carotenoids, tocopherols, and thiols. Am J Clin Nutr. 1991 Jan;53(1 Suppl):194S–200S. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Doll R., Peto R. The causes of cancer: quantitative estimates of avoidable risks of cancer in the United States today. J Natl Cancer Inst. 1981 Jun;66(6):1191–1308. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Dorant E., van den Brandt P. A., Goldbohm R. A., Hermus R. J., Sturmans F. Garlic and its significance for the prevention of cancer in humans: a critical view. Br J Cancer. 1993 Mar;67(3):424–429. doi: 10.1038/bjc.1993.82. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. Ferguson L. R. Antimutagens as cancer chemopreventive agents in the diet. Mutat Res. 1994 May 1;307(1):395–410. doi: 10.1016/0027-5107(94)90313-1. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  23. Garewal H., Meyskens F., Jr, Friedman S., Alberts D., Ramsey L. Oral cancer prevention: the case for carotenoids and anti-oxidant nutrients. Prev Med. 1993 Sep;22(5):701–711. doi: 10.1006/pmed.1993.1064. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  24. Gebhart E. Anticlastogenicity in cultured mammalian cells. Mutat Res. 1992 Jun;267(2):211–220. doi: 10.1016/0027-5107(92)90065-a. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  25. Greenberg E. R., Baron J. A., Tosteson T. D., Freeman D. H., Jr, Beck G. J., Bond J. H., Colacchio T. A., Coller J. A., Frankl H. D., Haile R. W. A clinical trial of antioxidant vitamins to prevent colorectal adenoma. Polyp Prevention Study Group. N Engl J Med. 1994 Jul 21;331(3):141–147. doi: 10.1056/NEJM199407213310301. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  26. Guseva S. A., Sivachenko T. P., Fed'ko A. A. Prognosticheskoe znachenie estestvennoi tsitotoksichnosti limfotsitov pri khronicheskikh leikozakh. Vopr Onkol. 1991;37(5):560–563. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  27. Hayatsu H., Negishi T., Arimoto S., Hayatsu T. Porphyrins as potential inhibitors against exposure to carcinogens and mutagens. Mutat Res. 1993 Nov;290(1):79–85. doi: 10.1016/0027-5107(93)90035-e. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  28. Hertog M. G., Hollman P. C., Katan M. B., Kromhout D. Intake of potentially anticarcinogenic flavonoids and their determinants in adults in The Netherlands. Nutr Cancer. 1993;20(1):21–29. doi: 10.1080/01635589309514267. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  29. Huang M. T., Wang Z. Y., Georgiadis C. A., Laskin J. D., Conney A. H. Inhibitory effects of curcumin on tumor initiation by benzo[a]pyrene and 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene. Carcinogenesis. 1992 Nov;13(11):2183–2186. doi: 10.1093/carcin/13.11.2183. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  30. Hwang H., Dwyer J., Russell R. M. Diet, Helicobacter pylori infection, food preservation and gastric cancer risk: are there new roles for preventative factors? Nutr Rev. 1994 Mar;52(3):75–83. doi: 10.1111/j.1753-4887.1994.tb01394.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  31. Kennedy A. R. Prevention of carcinogenesis by protease inhibitors. Cancer Res. 1994 Apr 1;54(7 Suppl):1999s–2005s. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  32. Kleibeuker J. H., Cats A., van der Meer R., Lapré J. A., de Vries E. G. Calcium supplementation as prophylaxis against colon cancer? Dig Dis. 1994 Mar-Apr;12(2):85–97. doi: 10.1159/000171441. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  33. Kohlmeier L., Bellach B. Exposure assessment error and its handling in nutritional epidemiology. Annu Rev Public Health. 1995;16:43–59. doi: 10.1146/annurev.pu.16.050195.000355. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  34. Kohlmeier L. Future of dietary exposure assessment. Am J Clin Nutr. 1995 Mar;61(3 Suppl):702S–709S. doi: 10.1093/ajcn/61.3.702S. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  35. Krinsky N. I. Anticarcinogenic activities of carotenoids in animals and cellular systems. EXS. 1992;62:227–234. doi: 10.1007/978-3-0348-7460-1_23. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  36. Krinsky N. I. Micronutrients and their influence on mutagenicity and malignant transformation. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 1993 May 28;686:229–242. doi: 10.1111/j.1749-6632.1993.tb39180.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  37. Kuroda Y., Inoue T. Antimutagenesis by factors affecting DNA repair in bacteria. Mutat Res. 1988 Dec;202(2):387–391. doi: 10.1016/0027-5107(88)90200-x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  38. Kuroda Y., Jain A. K., Tezuka H., Kada T. Antimutagenicity in cultured mammalian cells. Mutat Res. 1992 Jun;267(2):201–209. doi: 10.1016/0027-5107(92)90064-9. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  39. Lee H. P., Gourley L., Duffy S. W., Estéve J., Lee J., Day N. E. Dietary effects on breast-cancer risk in Singapore. Lancet. 1991 May 18;337(8751):1197–1200. doi: 10.1016/0140-6736(91)92867-2. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  40. Levander O. A. Selenium and sulfur in antioxidant protective systems: relationships with vitamin E and malaria. Proc Soc Exp Biol Med. 1992 Jun;200(2):255–259. doi: 10.3181/00379727-200-43430. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  41. Lotan R. Suppression of squamous cell carcinoma growth and differentiation by retinoids. Cancer Res. 1994 Apr 1;54(7 Suppl):1987s–1990s. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  42. MacGregor J. T., Schlegel R., Wehr C. M., Alperin P., Ames B. N. Cytogenetic damage induced by folate deficiency in mice is enhanced by caffeine. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1990 Dec;87(24):9962–9965. doi: 10.1073/pnas.87.24.9962. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  43. McLellan L. I., Judah D. J., Neal G. E., Hayes J. D. Regulation of aflatoxin B1-metabolizing aldehyde reductase and glutathione S-transferase by chemoprotectors. Biochem J. 1994 May 15;300(Pt 1):117–124. doi: 10.1042/bj3000117. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  44. Messina M., Barnes S. The role of soy products in reducing risk of cancer. J Natl Cancer Inst. 1991 Apr 17;83(8):541–546. doi: 10.1093/jnci/83.8.541. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  45. Michnovicz J. J., Bradlow H. L. Altered estrogen metabolism and excretion in humans following consumption of indole-3-carbinol. Nutr Cancer. 1991;16(1):59–66. doi: 10.1080/01635589109514141. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  46. Morse M. A., LaGreca S. D., Amin S. G., Chung F. L. Effects of indole-3-carbinol on lung tumorigenesis and DNA methylation induced by 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone (NNK) and on the metabolism and disposition of NNK in A/J mice. Cancer Res. 1990 May 1;50(9):2613–2617. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  47. Negishi T., Arimoto S., Nishizaki C., Hayatsu H. Inhibitory effect of chlorophyll on the genotoxicity of 3-amino-1-methyl-5H-pyrido[4,3-b]indole (Trp-P-2). Carcinogenesis. 1989 Jan;10(1):145–149. doi: 10.1093/carcin/10.1.145. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  48. Nelson R. L. Chlorophyllin, an antimutagen, acts as a tumor promoter in the rat-dimethylhydrazine colon carcinogenesis model. Anticancer Res. 1992 May-Jun;12(3):737–739. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  49. Ohta T. Modification of genotoxicity by naturally occurring flavorings and their derivatives. Crit Rev Toxicol. 1993;23(2):127–146. doi: 10.3109/10408449309117114. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  50. Ohta T., Watanabe M., Shirasu Y., Inoue T. Post-replication repair and recombination in uvrA umuC strains of Escherichia coli are enhanced by vanillin, an antimutagenic compound. Mutat Res. 1988 Sep;201(1):107–112. doi: 10.1016/0027-5107(88)90116-9. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  51. Pence B. C., Buddingh F., Yang S. P. Multiple dietary factors in the enhancement of dimethylhydrazine carcinogenesis: main effect of indole-3-carbinol. J Natl Cancer Inst. 1986 Jul;77(1):269–276. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  52. Prochaska H. J., Santamaria A. B., Talalay P. Rapid detection of inducers of enzymes that protect against carcinogens. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1992 Mar 15;89(6):2394–2398. doi: 10.1073/pnas.89.6.2394. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  53. Rogers A. E., Zeisel S. H., Groopman J. Diet and carcinogenesis. Carcinogenesis. 1993 Nov;14(11):2205–2217. doi: 10.1093/carcin/14.11.2205. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  54. Rose D. P., Connolly J. M. Effects of dietary omega-3 fatty acids on human breast cancer growth and metastases in nude mice. J Natl Cancer Inst. 1993 Nov 3;85(21):1743–1747. doi: 10.1093/jnci/85.21.1743. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  55. Stavric B. Antimutagens and anticarcinogens in foods. Food Chem Toxicol. 1994 Jan;32(1):79–90. doi: 10.1016/0278-6915(84)90040-1. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  56. Steinmetz K. A., Potter J. D. Vegetables, fruit, and cancer. II. Mechanisms. Cancer Causes Control. 1991 Nov;2(6):427–442. doi: 10.1007/BF00054304. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  57. Stoewsand G. S., Anderson J. L., Munson L. Protective effect of dietary brussels sprouts against mammary carcinogenesis in Sprague-Dawley rats. Cancer Lett. 1988 Mar;39(2):199–207. doi: 10.1016/0304-3835(88)90105-x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  58. Tiwari R. K., Guo L., Bradlow H. L., Telang N. T., Osborne M. P. Selective responsiveness of human breast cancer cells to indole-3-carbinol, a chemopreventive agent. J Natl Cancer Inst. 1994 Jan 19;86(2):126–131. doi: 10.1093/jnci/86.2.126. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  59. Wattenberg L. W. Chemoprevention of cancer. Cancer Res. 1985 Jan;45(1):1–8. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  60. Wattenberg L. W. Inhibition of carcinogenesis by minor dietary constituents. Cancer Res. 1992 Apr 1;52(7 Suppl):2085s–2091s. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  61. van den Brandt P. A., Goldbohm R. A., van 't Veer P., Bode P., Dorant E., Hermus R. J., Sturmans F. A prospective cohort study on selenium status and the risk of lung cancer. Cancer Res. 1993 Oct 15;53(20):4860–4865. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Environmental Health Perspectives are provided here courtesy of National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences

RESOURCES