What you eat can influence breast cancer!
...may be the key to preventing the spread of an often deadly type of breast cancer.Researchers found that...
According to a new study published in the medical journal Nature, a unique protein block commonly found in foods may be the key to preventing the spread of an often deadly type of breast cancer. Researchers found that by limiting an amino acid called asparagine in laboratory mice with breast cancer, they could dramatically reduce its ability to travel to distant sites in the body. Among other techniques, the team used dietary restrictions to limit asparagine. Foods rich in asparagine include dairy, buttermilk, beef, chicken, eggs, fish, shellfish, asparagus, potatoes, legumes, nuts, seeds, soybeans and whole grains. Foods low in asparagine include most** fruits and vegetables.**
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“Our study adds to a growing body of evidence suggesting that diet may influence the course of the disease.” Said Simon Knott, PhD. Associate Director of the Center for Bioinformatics and Functional Genomics at Cedars-Sinai. One of the two authors of the study. The research was conducted at more than a dozen institutions. If further research confirms the findings in human cells, limiting the amount of asparagine ingestion could be a potential strategy to augment existing therapies. And** prevent the spread of breast cancer**, Knott added. The researchers studied triple-negative breast cancer cells. They grow and spread faster than most other types of cancer cells. It is called triple negative because it lacks receptors for the hormones estrogen and progesterone and produces little protein called HER2. As a result, it resists common treatments. They focus on these factors and have a higher than average mortality rate. Research from previous studies found that the majority of tumor cells remain in the primary site of the breast. But a subset of cells leave the breast and enter the bloodstream. These cells colonize in the lungs, brain and liver, where they proliferate. The study team wanted to understand the particular traits of tumor cells circulating in the blood. Also in places where the cancer has spread.
Asparagine synthetase
The researchers found that the appearance of asparagine synthetase (the enzyme cells used to make asparagine) in a primary tumor was strongly associated with subsequent spread of cancer. The researchers also found that metastasis was greatly limited by reducing asparagine synthetase. Treatment with the drug L-asparaginase or dietary restriction. When lab mice were given food rich in asparagine, cancer cells spread more quickly. Researchers are now considering conducting an early-stage clinical trial. Healthy participants would consume a diet low in asparagine. If the diet results in decreased asparagine levels, the next scientific step would involve a clinical trial with cancer patients. That trial will likely employ dietary restrictions, as well as chemotherapy and immunotherapy, Knott said.
Studying the effects of asparagine could also alter treatments for other types of cancer. According to researchers.
“This study may have implications not just for breast cancer. But for many metastatic cancers,” said Ravi Thadhani, MD, MPH. Vice Dean of Research and Graduate Research Education, at Cedars-Sinai. We must closely follow this research to be able to guide our patients correctly.
