Mediterranean diet makes cancer cells die as normal

A study at The Ohio State University's Comprehensive Cancer Center found that a compound in certain plant-based foods, called apigenin, could stop breast cancer cells from inhibiting their own death.

We know that one way that cancer cells thrive is by inhibiting a process that would cause them to die on a regular cycle. This study found that a compound in certain plant-based foods, called apigenin, could stop breast cancer cells from inhibiting their own death.

Parsley, celery and chamomile tea are the most common sources of apigenin.

The researchers of this study also found that apigenin binds with an estimated 160 proteins in the human body, suggesting that other nutrients linked to health benefits – called “nutraceuticals” – might have similar far-reaching effects.

"We see here that the beneficial effect on health is attributed to this dietary nutrient affecting many proteins. In its relationship with a set of specific proteins, apigenin re-establishes the normal profile in cancer cells. We think this can have great value clinically as a potential cancer-prevention strategy,”said Andrea Doseff, associate professor of internal medicine and molecular genetics at Ohio State and a co-lead author of the study.

"When we eat healthfully, we are actually promoting more normal splice forms inside the cells in our bodies,”said Doseff.

The beneficial effects of nutraceuticals are not limited to cancer, as the investigators previously showed that apigenin has anti-inflammatory activities.