Abstract
Many dietary intervention protocols for cancer prevention have been proposed, often with little justification. However, in recent years our understanding of the mechanisms of carcinogenesis, particularly in the gastrointestinal tract, has increased enormously and we are now in a position to propose dietary interventions with a solidly rational basis, and to devise rational procedures for their rapid evaluation. In this presentation I will discuss the mechanism of action of three specific nutrients in the prevention of cancer of the gastrointestinal tract, namely ascorbic acid in the primary prevention of gastric cancer and calcium supplements or caecal acidification in the primary prevention of colorectal cancer. In both cancers it will first be necessary to review the state of our current knowledge of the mechanism of carcinogenesis, in order to be able to put the role of the specific nutrient into context.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
Bavin M, Darkin DW, Viney NJ. Total N-nitroso groups in gastric juice. IARC Scientific Publication No 41, Lyon, 337–344 (1982).
Bjelke E. Epidemiological studies of cancer of the stomach, colon and rectum. Scand. J. Gastro. 9: Supplement 31 (1984).
Bown RL, Gibson JA, Sladen GE, Hicks B, Dawson AM. Effects of lactulose and other laxatives on ideal and colonic pH as measured by a radiotelemetry device. Gut 15: 999–1004 (1974).
Burt RW, Bishop T, Cannon LA, Dowdle DA. Lee RG, Skolnich LH. Dominant inheritance of adenomatous colonic polyps and colorectal cancer. New Eng. J. Med. 312: 1540–1544 (1985).
Calmels S, Ohshima H. Vincent P et al. Screening microorganisms for nitrosation catalysis at pH7 and kinetic studies on nitrosamine formation from secondary amines by E.coli strains. Carcinogenesis 6: 911–915 (1985).
Cardesa A. Mirvish SS, Haven GT, Shubik P. Inhibitory effect of ascorbic acid on the acute toxicity of dimethylamine plus nitrite in the rat. Proc. Soc. Exp. Biol. Med. 145: 124–128 (1974).
Correa P. Haenszel W, Cuello C, Tannenbaum S. Archer M. A model of gastric cancer epidemiology. Lancet ii 58–60(1975).
Fadden K, Owen R, Hill MJ et al. Steroid degradation along gastrointestinal tract: the use of the cannulated pig as a model system. Trans. Biochem. Soc. 12: 1105–6 (1984).
Felix YF. Thesis for Fellowship of the Institute of Med. Lab. Sciences (London ) 1987.
Garland C, Shekelle RB, Barrett-Conner E, Criqui MH, Rossof AH, Paul D. Dietary vitamin D and calcium and risk of colorectal cancer. Lancet i 307–309 (1985).
Hill MJ. Steroid nuclear dehydrogenation and colon cancer. Amer. J. Clin. Nutr. 27: 1475–1480 (1974).
Hill MJ. Mechanisms of colorectal carcinogenesis. In (eds J. Joossens, J Geboers, MJ Hill) Diet and Human Carcinogenesis Excerpta Medica, Amsterdam. 149–164 (1985).
Hill MJ. Microbes and Human Carcinogenesis, Edward Arnold, London (1986).
Hill MJ. Gastric carcinogenesis: luminal factors. In (eds PI Reed, MJ Hill) Gastric Carcinogenesis Excerpta Medica. Amsterdam. 187–200 (1988).
Hill MJ. N-nitroso compounds and lung cancer. In (ed MJ Hill) N-nitroso Compounds: toxicology and bacteriology Ellis Horwood, Chichester. 142–162 (1989)
Hill MJ, Morson BC. Bussey HJR. Aetiology of adenomacarcinoma sequence. Lancet i: 245–247 (1978).
Hill MJ, Morson BC, Thompson MH. The role of faecal bile acids in large bowel carcinogenesis. Br. J. Cancer 48: 143 (1983).
H11 MJ. Melville D, Lennard-Jones J. Neale K, Ritchie JK. Faecal bile acids dysplasia and carcinoma in ulcerative colitis. Lancet ii: 183–186 (1987).
Judd P. Dietary factors in the aetiology of gastric cancer. In (eds PI Reed, MJ Hill) Gastric Carcinogenesis. Excerpta Medica, Amsterdam. 87–98 (1988).
Lauren P. The two histological main types in gastric carcinoma: diffuse and so-called intestinal type. Acta Path. Mic. Scand 64: 31–49 (1965).
Leach S. Challis B, Cook AR. Hill MJ, Thompson MH. Bacterial catalysis of the N-nitrosation of secondary amines. Trans. Biochem. Soc. 13: 380–381 (1985).
Leach S. Mechanisms of endogenous N-nitrosation. In (ed MJ Hill) Nitrosamines: Toxicology and Microbiology Ellis Horwood, Chichester. 69–87 (1987).
Lipkin M. Newmark H. Effect of added dietary calcium on colonic epithelial cell proliferation in subjects at high risk for familial colonic cancer. N. Eng. J. Med. 313: 1381–1384 (1985).
Mackerness C, Leach S, Thompson MH, Hill MJ. The inhibition of bacterially mediated N-nitrosation by vitamin C: Relevance of the inhibition of endogenous nitrosation in the achlorhydric stomach. Carcingenesis 10: 397–399 (1989).
Midvedt T, Norman A. Breakdown of bile salts by intestinal bacteria. Acta Path. Mic. Scand. 71: 629–638 (1967).
Milton-Thompson G, Lightfoot N. Ahmet Z. Intragastric acidity, bacteria, nitrite and N-nitroso compounds before, during and after cimetidine treatment. Lancet i: 1091–1094 (1982).
Mirvish SS. Effects of vitamins C and E on N-nitroso compound formation. carcinogenesis and cancer. Cancer 58: 1842–1850 (1986).
Mirvish SS, Wallcave L. Eagen M, Shubik P. Ascorbate-nitrite reaction: possible means of blocking the formation of carcinogenic N-nitroso compounds. Science 177: 65–68 (1972).
Mirvish SS, Cardesa A. Wallcave L. Shubik P. Induction of mouse lung adenomas by amines or ureas plus nitrite and by N-nitroso compounds: effect of ascorbate, gallic acid, thiocyanate and caffeine. J. Nat. Cancer Nut. 55: 633–636 (1975).
Morson BC. Factors influencing the prognosis of early cancer of the rectum. Proc. Roy. Soc. Med. 59: 607–608 (1966).
Morson BC. The polyp-cancer sequence of the large bowel. Proc. Roy. soc. Med. 67: 451–457 (1974).
Morson BC, Konishi F. Dysplasia of the colon and rectum. In (ed R Wright) Recent Advances in Gastrointestinal Pathology. R Saunders, London. 331–343 (1980).
Morson BC, Bussey HJR. Day D, Hill MJ. Adenomas of the large bowel. Cancer Surveys 2: 457–477 (1983).
Newmark H, Wargovich MJ, Bruce WR. Colon cancer and dietary fat, phosphate and calcium: A hypothesis. J. Nat Cancer Inst. 74: 1323–1325 (1984).
Owen RW, Thompson MH, Hill MJ, Wilpart M. Mainguet P, Roberfroid M. The importance of the ratio of lithocholic to deoxycholic acid in large bowel carcinogenesis. Nutr. Cancer 9: 67–71 (1987).
Pignatelli B, Richard I, Bourgade M. Bartsch H. An improved method for analysis of total N-nitroso compounds in gastric juice. Analyst 112: 945–949 (1987).
Rafter J, Eng WS, Furrer R, Medline A, Bruce WR. Effects of calcium and pH on the mucosal damage produced by deoxycholic acid in the rat colon. Gut 27: 1320–1329 (1986).
Reed PI, Smith PL, Hines K. Gastric juice N-nitrosamines in health and gastroduodenal disease. Lancet ii: 550–552 (1981).
Reed PI, Summers K, Smith P. Walters CL, Bartholomew B, Hill MJ. Vennitt S, Hornig D, Boneour, J-P. Effect of ascorbic acid treatment on gastric juice nitrite and N-nitroso compounds concentrations in achlorhydric subjects. Gut 24: 492–493 (1983).
Sharma BK. Santana IA, Wood EC, Walt R, Pereira M, Noone P. Pounder R. Smith P, Walters CL. Intragastric bacterial activity and nitrosation before, during and after treatment with omeprazole. Brit. Med. J. 289: 717–719 (1984).
Thomas JM, Misiewicz J, Cook A. Hill MJ, Smith P. Walters CL, Forster J, Martin L, Woodings D. Effects of one years treatment with ranitidine and of truncal vagotomy on gastric contents. Gut 28: 726–738 (1987).
Thornton JR. High colonic pH promoter colorectal cancer. Lancet i: 1081–1083 (1981).
Walters CL, Hart RJ, Keefer L. Newberne P. The sequential determination of nitrite. N-nitroso compounds and nitrate and its application. IARC Scientific Publication No 31 Lyon 389–393 (1980).
Wargovich MJ, Eng V, Newmark HL, Bruce WR. Calcium ameliorates the toxic effect of deoxychoic acid on colonic epithelium. Carcinogenesis 4: 1205–1207 (1983).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 1990 The Humana Press Inc.
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Hill, M.J. (1990). Mechanisms of Specific Nutrients in the Prevention of Cancer. In: Prasad, K.N., Meyskens, F.L. (eds) Nutrients and Cancer Prevention. Experimental Biology and Medicine, vol 23. Humana Press. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4612-4516-2_11
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4612-4516-2_11
Publisher Name: Humana Press
Print ISBN: 978-1-4612-8856-5
Online ISBN: 978-1-4612-4516-2
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive