Broccoli sprout extract promising for head and neck cancer prevention

University of Pittsburgh , April 19, 2022

Broccoli sprout extract protects against oral cancer in mice and proved tolerable in a small group of healthy human volunteers. “People who are cured of head and neck cancer are still at very high risk for a second cancer in their mouth or throat, and, unfortunately, these second cancers are commonly fatal,” said lead author Julie Bauman, co-director of the UPMC Head and Neck Cancer Center of Excellence. So we’re developing a safe, natural molecule found in cruciferous vegetables to protect the oral lining where these cancers form.” Previous studies, including large-scale trials in China, have shown that cruciferous vegetables that have a high concentration of sulforaphane – such as broccoli, cabbage and garden cress – help mitigate the effects of environmental carcinogens. For several months, Dr. Johnson and his team gave sulforaphane to mice predisposed to oral cancer and found that it significantly reduced the incidence and number of tumors. “The clear benefit of sulforaphane in preventing oral cancer in mice raises hope that this well-tolerated compound also may act to prevent oral cancer in humans who face chronic exposure to environmental pollutants and carcinogens,” said Dr. Johnson.

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Living in areas with more greenery may boost cognitive function: study

Boston University School of Public Health, April 27, 2022

Cognitive function at middle age is a strong predictor of whether a person may develop dementia later in life. Now, a new study led by a Boston University School of Public Health (BUSPH) researcher has found that increasing greenspace in residential areas could help improve cognition function in middle-aged women and that this association might be explained by a reduction in depression, which is also a risk factor for dementia. Published in the journal JAMA Network Open, the study found that exposure to greenspace around one’s home and surrounding neighborhood could improve processing speed and attention, as well as boost overall cognitive function. The results also showed that lowered depression may help explain the association between greenspace and cognition, bolstering previous research that has linked exposure to parks, community gardens, and other greenery with improved mental health.

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Could a natural compound spare our livers?

Texas A&M University, April 20, 2022

Spermidine—a compound in foods like aged cheese, mushrooms, soy products, legumes, corn, and whole grains—may prevent liver fibrosis and hepatocellular carcinoma, the most common type of liver cancer. There is also some evidence that it may prolong lifespan, according to a study in the journal Cancer Research. Researchers gave animal models an oral supplement of spermidine and found that they lived longer and were less likely than untreated individuals to have liver fibrosis and cancerous liver tumors, even when predisposed for those conditions.Even if people didn’t begin taking spermidine until later in life, they still might be able to get these liver and heart benefits. The animal models exposed to spermidine showed reductions in both liver lesions and intensity of liver fibrosis, a condition that often leads to liver cancer.

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Poor diet associated with increased diabetes risk across all gradients of genetic risk

Massachusetts General Hospital, April 26, 2022 

Genetic risk factors and diet quality are independently associated with type 2 diabetes; a healthy diet is linked to lower diabetes risk across all levels of genetic risk. That’s the conclusion of a study of more than 35,000 US adults published in PLOS Medicine The team found that, irrespective of genetic risk, a low diet quality, as compared to high diet quality, was associated with a 30% increased risk of type 2 diabetes. The joint association of low diet quality and increased genetic risk was similar to the sum of the risk for each factor alone, further supporting independent associations. That said, one limitation of the study was that the cohort sampling might not necessarily generalize to other populations. Merino adds, “This study provided evidence that the risk of type 2 diabetes attributed to increased genetic risk and low diet quality is similar to the sum of the risks associated with each factor alone. Such knowledge could serve to inform and design future strategies to advance the prevention of diabetes.”

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