Foreword

In writing this forward, I was reminded by the common phrase, “you are what you eat”, which implies that to remain healthy one must eat healthy foods. Scientists and health professionals have long recognized the benefits of eating healthy and in selecting foods that contain specific disease preventing nutrients and micronutrients. It is now well established that nutrients in the diet prevent or retard several processes associated with cancer; however, they also can contribute to cancer risk and progression. Non-nutritive, phytochemicals present in plants are powerful antineoplastic agents on their own and can enhance the response of patients to cancer therapies or prevent cancer reoccurrence, areas that are often under appreciated by medical practitioners.

While the information on nutrition and cancer is voluminous, the scientific data have not always lead to unambiguous recommendations regarding the role of nutrition in cancer prevention and progression. Because cancer is a collection of over 100 different diseases, various types of cancer and even cancers of the same type can express differential sensitivity to nutrients and phytochemicals making it difficult to discern their beneficial or detrimental effects. The mechanisms by which nutrients and phytochemicals modulate the assorted steps involved in the cancer process are themselves multifactorial and eclectic. Such is the nature of the topics in this book.

The book includes chapters on the current state of knowledge of noteworthy plant phytochemicals such as resveratrol found in high amounts in red wine, berries, and nuts, catechins found in green tea, and capsaicin present in chili peppers. It also includes timely information on emerging areas such as the role and epigenetic mechanisms of omega 3 fatty acids present in fatty fish and nuts, which are associated with cancer prevention and therapy. Oxidative stress is generally thought to promote cancer progression, and this subject is very effectively integrated into the book via the chapters discussing the relationship between heme iron from red meat, oxidative stress, and breast cancer, the receptor independent effects of retinoids related to changes in cellular oxidative state, and lastly the complexity associated with the antioxidant mechanisms of various phytochemicals including, but not limited to, resveratrol and those found in green tea.

While we as individuals cannot modify our genetic makeup and may have little control over the multitude of carcinogens in our environment, we have the power to make healthy diet-based choices that can significantly modify cancer risk and progression. The authors have structured this book not only to review the epidemiological studies that support the roles of selected nutrients/phytochemicals in cancer control, but also they review the cellular and molecular pathways involved in their action as well as the clinical data related to their efficacy in cancer treatment. Consequently, this book has wide appeal not only to researchers in the nutrition and cancer field, but also to oncology practitioners, dieticians, as well as cancer survivors, who are interested learning how healthy dietary choices can enhance their quality of life.