Greater flavonol intake associated with reduced pancreatic cancer risk

April 17, 2007

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In this issue
	Life Extension Update Exclusive
		Greater flavonol intake associated with reduced pancreatic cancer risk
	Health Concern
		Pancreatic Cancer
	Featured Products
		Quercetin
		Mega Green Tea Extract Capsules
	Events
		South Florida Friends of the Center for Advancement in Cancer Education launch celebration

Life Extension Update Exclusive

Greater flavonol intake associated with reduced pancreatic cancer risk

A presentation at the 2007 Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research held this month in Los Angeles reported the finding of researchers at the Cancer Research Center of Hawaii that diets high in plant compounds known as flavonols have a reduced rate of pancreatic cancer. Onions, broccoli, berries, kale, and apples among other plants provide high amounts of the compounds, which include kaempferol, quercetin and myricetin.

For the current investigation, Laurence Kolonel, MD, PhD and colleagues evaluated the diets of 183,518 residents of California and Hawaii who were participants in The Multiethnic Cohort Study. Subjects completed food questionnaires upon enrollment and were followed for an average of eight years. Five hundred twenty-nine participants developed cancer over the follow-up period.

The team found that participants who consumed the most flavonols had a 23 percent lower risk of developing pancreatic cancer than those whose intake was least. The benefit was greatest in smokers, who experienced a 59 percent lower risk of developing the disease if their flavonol intake was among the highest group according to intake. “The effect was largest in smokers, presumably because they are at increased pancreatic cancer risk already", stated research team member Ute Nöthlings, DrPH, who is now with the German Institute of Human Nutrition Potsdam-Rehbruecke. “Short of stopping tobacco use, it has been difficult to consistently show lifestyle factors that might help protect against this deadly cancer.”

The study is the first to prospectively examine classes of flavonols and pancreatic cancer risk. When individual flavonol intake was analyzed, kaempferol was associated with the greatest reduction.

“Anticarcinogenic effects of flavonoids in general have been attributed to the ability of these constituents to inhibit cell cycle, cell proliferation and oxidative stress, and to induce detoxification enzymes and apoptosis," Dr Nöthlings explained.

"Further epidemiological studies in other populations and geographic regions are needed to confirm our findings," she added.

Health Concern

Pancreatic cancer

Risk Factors for Pancreatic Cancer

Age, sex, race, and ethnicity. The disease is more common in the elderly and among men, and there is a higher incidence rate among African-Americans (Ghadirian L et al 2003).
Smoking (Lowenfels AB et al 2002; Michaud DS 2004).
Exposure to chemicals such as gasoline, petroleum products, and DDT (Alguacil J et al 2003; Hoppin JA et al 2000; Simon B et al 2001).
Inherited pancreatic disease and inherited breast cancer (Cowgill SM et al 2003; Ghadirian P et al 2003; Lowenfels AB et al 2004).
Chronic pancreatitis and diabetes mellitus (Truninger K 2000).
Insulin resistance (Berrington de Gonzalez A et al 2003).
Diet: excess calorie intake; high intake of saturated fats and oils, including omega-6 fatty acids, meat, and dairy products; and high intake of fried foods, carbohydrates, cholesterol, salt, nitrites from animal products, and nitrosamines (Coss A et al 2004).

Tea is particularly rich in polyphenols such as epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) that act as antioxidants. Black and green tea extracts reduce pancreatic tumor cell growth by approximately 90 percent while preventing angiogenesis (Maiti TK et al 2003; Masamune A et al 2005; Roomi MW et al 2005). They also decrease the expression of the K-ras gene (Lyn-Cook BD et al 1999a) and the invasiveness of pancreatic cancer cells (Takada M et al 2002).

https://www.lifeextension.com/protocols/cancer/pancreatic_01.htm

Featured Products

Quercetin

Quercetin is the most abundant of the flavonoid molecules. Quercetin has many benefits on human health by promoting a healthy immune and cardiovascular system as well as a very active antioxidant.

https://www.lifeextension.com/newshop/items/item00470.html

Mega Green Tea Extract Capsules

The active constituents in green tea are polyphenols, with an antioxidant called epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) being the most powerful. The antioxidant activity of EGCG is about 25-100 times more potent than vitamins C and E. One cup of green tea may provide 10-40 mg of polyphenols and has antioxidant effects that are greater than a serving of broccoli, spinach, carrots, or strawberries.

https://www.lifeextension.com/newshop/items/item00953.html

Events

South Florida Friends of the Center for Advancement in Cancer Education launch celebration

You are invited to an evening of amazing art, music, food and friends at the Margulies Collection at the Warehouse, one of Miami’s most stunning private art galleries.

Life Extension is sponsor of this event celebrating the launch of the South Florida Friends of the Center for Advancement in Cancer Education.

Special Guest: Dr. Sean Kenniff, CBS 4

Where: The Margulies Collection at the Warehouse
591 NW 27 Street, Miami, Florida
(Corner of NW 6 Avenue and NE 27 Street)

When: Thursday, April 19 from 7:00 – 10:00 PM

$40 minimum tax deductible donation suggested - 100% of the money raised will support the work of the Center.

RSVP at www.BeatCancer.org/ or call 305 807 3506

If you have questions or comments concerning this issue or past issues of Life Extension Update, send them to ddye@lifeextension.com or call 1-800-678-8989.

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