How Diet Enhances Our Natural Anti-Cancer Response

September 28, 2017 One of the ways the body controls the overall number of cells is by initiating a preprogrammed cell death routine, known as apoptosis, in damaged or otherwise unnecessary cells. Apoptosis allows elimination of cells without induction of an autoimmune response. A hallmark of many types of cancer cells is a resistance to apoptosis; hence, tumors continue to grow and metastasize. Finding ways to defeat this resistance in cancer cells is an area of active research.

Female Tea Drinkers See Epigenetic Changes in Cancer and Hormone Genes

June 27, 2017 • That morning or midday beverage may have a greater effect on our genes than previously thought, especially if you happen to be female and consume tea on a regular basis. New evidence from a group of investigators at Uppsala University shows that tea consumption in women leads to epigenetic changes in genes that are known to interact with cancer and estrogen metabolism. Findings from the new study were published recently in Human Molecular Genetics in an article entitled “Tea and Coffee Consumption in Relation to DNA Methylation in Four European Cohorts.”

Shedding Light on Genetic Associations with Liver Cancer

May 1, 2017 • Many of the genes we study at the NRI are involved in nutrient metabolism. One of the ways we can learn about what a gene does is to delete it in an animal model and then see how the gene-deleted animals differ from normal animals. By observing how disruption of a gene affects an animal’s growth, development, and health, we can develop insights into […]

Breast Cancer Subtype Important in Deciding Impact of Folate

Breast Cancer Subtype Important in Deciding Impact of Folate

February 1, 2017 • It is generally known that folate (vitamin B9) is important in early pregnancy to prevent neural tube defects in babies, because folate is needed by rapidly dividing cells (e.g., those of a developing embryo) for DNA synthesis and cellular energy production. As a consequence, many processed foods in the United States are fortified with […]

Study Finds Weight Loss Amount is More Important than Diet Type in Reversing Obesity-Cancer Link

Study Finds Weight Loss Amount is More Important than Diet Type in Reversing Obesity-Cancer Link

March 28, 2016 • Researchers striving to break the link between obesity and cancer have found in a new preclinical study that significant weight loss through calorie restriction, but not moderate weight loss through a low-fat diet, was linked to reduced breast cancer growth. The preliminary findings (abstract #4321) will be presented from 1-5 p.m. April 19 at the 2016 American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting in New Orleans.