The news that someone close to us or someone particularly famous has been diagnosed with a malignant disease can make us stop and think. When this happens, we often stop to think that, when it comes to cancer, the odds are stacked against us and that it’s only a matter of time before we’re faced with that “suspicious” lump or ominous shadow on the X. -ray plate.
These thoughts aren’t really surprising considering the myriad of different cancers that have the potential to invade our bodies: common cancers like breast, prostate, colon, and lung, as well as not-so-common cancers like leukemia and thyroid cancer. .
If we are wise, we will be making an effort to reduce our cancer risk by eating sensibly, not smoking, reducing our alcohol intake, and exercising regularly. What we should also be doing, according to a growing body of research, is eating more foods that contain the natural compound apigenin.
APIGENIN SOURCES
Apigenin is an antioxidant flavonoid found in herbs, spices, and other food plants. Examples of foods that contain apigenin are herbs and spices, coriander, licorice, marjoram, parsley, oregano, rosemary, and tarragon. Other foods like citrus fruits, tea, celery, and wheat also contain significant amounts of this yellow, cancer-fighting compound.
SCIENTIFIC INVESTIGATION
Although most of the research on this compound has been limited to the laboratory, scientists studying apigenin have discovered that it exhibits several different mechanisms that work to counteract the complex factors that underlie the growth of cancer cells.
In addition to interfering with a number of cancer signaling processes, apigenin also inhibits the growth of new blood vessels that malignant cells need to grow and proliferate.
HER2 BREAST CANCER GENE
As for breast cancer, it also inhibits the expression of the HER2/neu gene. Women who are HER2/neu carriers are much more susceptible to an aggressive and refractory form of cancer for which, until recently, no effective treatment existed.
Apigenin has been shown to suppress the activity of this gene and, in this regard, bind to its green tea-based flavonoid partner, epigallocatechin gallate, as a potent preventive agent in those unfortunate enough to inherit the HER2/neu gene. .
CANCERS PROBABLE TO APIGENIN
To date, apigenin has been found to inhibit the following cancer cell lines: breast, prostate, lung, leukemia, colon, ovarian, skin, and thyroid, malignancies that account for the vast majority of cancers of which most we fear being victims.
PREVENT INSTEAD OF CURE
It will be a long time before research is done on the use of apigenin in the TREATMENT of these malignancies.
And, as a cautionary note, there is also some evidence that high doses of apigenin may interfere with one or two chemotherapeutic agents used in the treatment of leukemia.
In other words, a higher dose of a useful anti-cancer phytonutrient is not always better than the lower doses that are effective in preventing disease onset.
EAT MORE SPICES
Instead of waiting for that to happen, we need to be more proactive and eat foods that contain this important phytonutrient.
A regular intake of herbs and spices such as coriander (cilantro), licorice, marjoram, oregano, parsley, rosemary, and thyme (as well as other foods such as whole wheat, celery, tea, and citrus) should provide protective amounts of apigenin.
In addition, these and other spices provide many other compounds that have proven cancer-inhibiting abilities.