Cancer is the second leading cause of death in the world, especially in industrialized countries. Cancer development is a consequence of genetic, environmental and dietary factors. A condition of excessive food intake triggers inflammatory processes that can evolve into the development of diseases which, in turn, facilitate the onset of cancer such as colorectal, esophageal, pancreas and stomach and in females the onset of breast, endometrial and ovarian cancer is more frequent. Overnutrition and certain lifestyles can cause an alteration in metabolism due to an established inflammatory status. The immune system when continuously exposed to endogenous and exogenous stimuli is responsible for the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines by both innate and adaptive immunity cells. These cytokines such as TNF-a, IL-1b and IFN-g, lead to the activation of the NF-kb pathway, thus amplifying the inflammatory response. In addition, an excessive production of nitric oxide and reactive oxygen species is also observed.
In particular, the excessive intake of "junk" food and low physical activity has been shown to facilitate the onset of cancer. However, malnutrition has also been shown to be responsible for tumorigenesis. In additon, the presence of microrganisms and viruses also contributes to cancer development.
Functional foods and Complementary and Alternative medicine, including traditional Chinese medicine, plant extracts, natural products such as dietary fibre, polyhenols and polyunsaturated fatty acids may be useful in preventing the onset of cancer. In this Research Topic the mechanisms of action due to the intake of natural products and their potential beneficial effects on cancer prevention will be investigated.
Original or review articles describing prevention of cancer through Complementary and Alternative medicine are welcome.
All manuscripts submitted to the collection will need to fully comply with the Four Pillars of Best Practice in Ethnopharmacology (you can freely download the full version here).
Cancer is the second leading cause of death in the world, especially in industrialized countries. Cancer development is a consequence of genetic, environmental and dietary factors. A condition of excessive food intake triggers inflammatory processes that can evolve into the development of diseases which, in turn, facilitate the onset of cancer such as colorectal, esophageal, pancreas and stomach and in females the onset of breast, endometrial and ovarian cancer is more frequent. Overnutrition and certain lifestyles can cause an alteration in metabolism due to an established inflammatory status. The immune system when continuously exposed to endogenous and exogenous stimuli is responsible for the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines by both innate and adaptive immunity cells. These cytokines such as TNF-a, IL-1b and IFN-g, lead to the activation of the NF-kb pathway, thus amplifying the inflammatory response. In addition, an excessive production of nitric oxide and reactive oxygen species is also observed.
In particular, the excessive intake of "junk" food and low physical activity has been shown to facilitate the onset of cancer. However, malnutrition has also been shown to be responsible for tumorigenesis. In additon, the presence of microrganisms and viruses also contributes to cancer development.
Functional foods and Complementary and Alternative medicine, including traditional Chinese medicine, plant extracts, natural products such as dietary fibre, polyhenols and polyunsaturated fatty acids may be useful in preventing the onset of cancer. In this Research Topic the mechanisms of action due to the intake of natural products and their potential beneficial effects on cancer prevention will be investigated.
Original or review articles describing prevention of cancer through Complementary and Alternative medicine are welcome.
All manuscripts submitted to the collection will need to fully comply with the Four Pillars of Best Practice in Ethnopharmacology (you can freely download the full version here).
