In the era of ancient Greek medicine Hippocrates postulated that an imbalance of humors (blood, phlegm, black bile and yellow bile) resulted in disease and Galen introduced four basic temperaments of human reflecting the humors (the sanguine, buoyant type; the phlegmatic, sluggish type; the choleric, quick-tempered type; and the melancholic, dejected type). Thereafter both Western and Oriental medicine have tried to classify human into different types to increase the treatment efficacy and have believed that these types affect physiology, pathology, diagnosis, treatment and prognosis of diseases. These old classifications were based on physical shapes or tempers (phenotypic expression) but nowadays we are trying to classify human as genotypes to predict the disease risk as well as to develop better strategies for the prevention and treatment of disease. Early researches regarding the relationship between diet and cancer were based on the idea that the cancer is caused by an overexposure to a specific diet. With a more clear knowledge gained in recent years that cancer is a genetic disease, as shown by molecular aberrations in many genes, most of the studies have focused more specifically on the effect of particular nutrients on the expression of genes related to carcinogenesis. Most recently, the complete mapping of the human genome and sophisticated molecular technologies have accelerated researches on the relationship between nutrients and genes. Consequently compelling evidences from epidemiological and experimental observations have suggested that the risk of a certain cancer is different from each genotype of critical genes and have supported that the interaction between nutrient and gene is one of the most important mechanisms by which nutrients modulate carcinogenesis. This book specifically focuses on the interaction between nutrients and genes in cancer, which, we believe, highlights that nutrient has not just one simple function in cancer development but, more notably, that nutrition is one of the most important factors, which serves as a modulator for cancer development through the interaction with specific genes. A deeper understanding in such relationship has also contributed to find a new strategy for cancer chemoprevention with nutrition. In this book we have endeavored to provide a comprehensive and systematic review of the latest information regarding the role of nutrients and genes interactions on cancer development, with the aim of providing also specific examples of well-known interactions between nutrients and genes with a defined pathogenetic role in clinical manifestations of different cancer diseases. The first part of the book includes chapters on the basic elements of biology and pathobiology of gene-nutrient interactions with a focus on mechanisms and biomarkers. Thereafter each chapter describes in detail regarding specific gene-nutrients interactions which are currently available in many different types of cancer. Each chapter also describes the currently available methodologies to evaluate each nutrient and gene interaction. This section has been thought both for basic-science investigators as well as for clinicians who manage cancer patients with the intent of giving useful tools which face the clinical implications of the gene-nutrient interaction field in medical nutrition and oncology. In contemporary medicine, moreover, not only oncology specialists meet the need of a continuing appreciation of this emerging field, but also many others among specialists and scientists are confronted with this emerging field of nutrition and genetics interactions. The last chapter of the book emphasizes upcoming directions and implications of the significance of fostering future researches as well as perceiving new prospective in this specific and rapidly growing theme of medical science. We would like to thank our esteemed authors, who are among the leading authorities in the field, for their marvelous contribution to each chapter as well as our admired readers for their dedication, present and future, to this unique and fascinating field, ‘the interaction of nutrients and genes in cancer’. We also would like to thank the CRC press to provide us an arena to discuss about a valuable scientific topic and most of all we give thanks to God to show us his secret, the gene-nutrient interaction, for the health of all mankind.

Nutrient-gene interactions in cancer

FRISO, Simonetta
2006-01-01

Abstract

In the era of ancient Greek medicine Hippocrates postulated that an imbalance of humors (blood, phlegm, black bile and yellow bile) resulted in disease and Galen introduced four basic temperaments of human reflecting the humors (the sanguine, buoyant type; the phlegmatic, sluggish type; the choleric, quick-tempered type; and the melancholic, dejected type). Thereafter both Western and Oriental medicine have tried to classify human into different types to increase the treatment efficacy and have believed that these types affect physiology, pathology, diagnosis, treatment and prognosis of diseases. These old classifications were based on physical shapes or tempers (phenotypic expression) but nowadays we are trying to classify human as genotypes to predict the disease risk as well as to develop better strategies for the prevention and treatment of disease. Early researches regarding the relationship between diet and cancer were based on the idea that the cancer is caused by an overexposure to a specific diet. With a more clear knowledge gained in recent years that cancer is a genetic disease, as shown by molecular aberrations in many genes, most of the studies have focused more specifically on the effect of particular nutrients on the expression of genes related to carcinogenesis. Most recently, the complete mapping of the human genome and sophisticated molecular technologies have accelerated researches on the relationship between nutrients and genes. Consequently compelling evidences from epidemiological and experimental observations have suggested that the risk of a certain cancer is different from each genotype of critical genes and have supported that the interaction between nutrient and gene is one of the most important mechanisms by which nutrients modulate carcinogenesis. This book specifically focuses on the interaction between nutrients and genes in cancer, which, we believe, highlights that nutrient has not just one simple function in cancer development but, more notably, that nutrition is one of the most important factors, which serves as a modulator for cancer development through the interaction with specific genes. A deeper understanding in such relationship has also contributed to find a new strategy for cancer chemoprevention with nutrition. In this book we have endeavored to provide a comprehensive and systematic review of the latest information regarding the role of nutrients and genes interactions on cancer development, with the aim of providing also specific examples of well-known interactions between nutrients and genes with a defined pathogenetic role in clinical manifestations of different cancer diseases. The first part of the book includes chapters on the basic elements of biology and pathobiology of gene-nutrient interactions with a focus on mechanisms and biomarkers. Thereafter each chapter describes in detail regarding specific gene-nutrients interactions which are currently available in many different types of cancer. Each chapter also describes the currently available methodologies to evaluate each nutrient and gene interaction. This section has been thought both for basic-science investigators as well as for clinicians who manage cancer patients with the intent of giving useful tools which face the clinical implications of the gene-nutrient interaction field in medical nutrition and oncology. In contemporary medicine, moreover, not only oncology specialists meet the need of a continuing appreciation of this emerging field, but also many others among specialists and scientists are confronted with this emerging field of nutrition and genetics interactions. The last chapter of the book emphasizes upcoming directions and implications of the significance of fostering future researches as well as perceiving new prospective in this specific and rapidly growing theme of medical science. We would like to thank our esteemed authors, who are among the leading authorities in the field, for their marvelous contribution to each chapter as well as our admired readers for their dedication, present and future, to this unique and fascinating field, ‘the interaction of nutrients and genes in cancer’. We also would like to thank the CRC press to provide us an arena to discuss about a valuable scientific topic and most of all we give thanks to God to show us his secret, the gene-nutrient interaction, for the health of all mankind.
2006
9780849332296
nutrient; gene-nutrient interactions; folate; one-carbon metabolism; epigenetics; DNA methylation; histone methylation; vitamins; vitamin E; vitamin C; vitamin A; vitamin B12; vitamin B6; MTHFR; TS; MS; polymorphisms in gene encoding for one-carbon metabolism enzymes; carotenoids; alcohol.
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11562/27859
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