Flavonoids Save from Lung Cancer




University of California in Los Angeles has made a unique and interesting research. Although it has been proven before that smokers are in big danger of lung cancer, the UCLA scientists claim that regular eating of vegetables and fruit reduces this danger.

The journal Cancer has published the data of the research which says that tobacco smokers can protect themselves from danger of lung cancer by consuming three servings of fruits and vegetables per day. Drinking black or green tea has the same effect. The scientists explain it by the high level of flavonoids in this kind of diet which plays a big role in cancer control.

Bioflavonoids have been found by a Hungarian researcher, Albert Szent-Gyorgy in 1938. They are explained as water-soluble pigment in plants. The study of them showed that they increase the intake of Vitamin C pushing it directly to the liver, kidneys and adrenal glands. Later researches have shown that deeply colored fruits and vegetables provide protection from many diseases including cancer and bad effect of pesticides and herbicides.

Later bioflavonoids were shortened to flavonoids. Many researches were done on them which proved only good points of the deep colors in fruits and vegetables. By now we know that flavonoids prevent strokes, heart attacks, initiation and development of cancerous cells. They work well as detoxifiers eliminating dead cells.

It is easy to determine flavonoid rich foods by color, no wonder that the best ones happen to be blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, raspberries, plums, dark cherries, kiwi, beets, all herbs and green vegetables like parsley, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cucumbers.

UCLA researchers have studies 558 people with lung cancer and 837 people who did not have the disease. The results showed that the participants which ate certain flavonoids have been protected from the cancer. The leader of the research, professor of public health and epidemiology, Cr. Zuo-Feng Zhang noticed that the most protective flavonoids included catechin (it is found in strawberries, green and black teas), kaempferol (Brussels sprouts and apples) and quercetin (beans, onions, apples).

Flavonoids block angiogenesis, the process when new blood vessels grow from the existing ones which is the fundamental step for tumor transitions. Flavonoids also stop the growth of cancer cells initializing their apoptosis, the process of programmed cell death.

The researchers say that tobacco smoking has a bad effect on the human’s DNA and antioxidant features in the flavonoids help to heal this damage. Non-smokers do not have this problem and this is why eating dark vegetables and fruits did not affect them as well as the smokers. This does not mean that smoking is all right as long as the body receives flavonoids. Giving up the bad habit is still the best choice, but eating vegetables and fruits have never hurt anybody and, in fact, are proven to have even more beneficial effect than ever.

The group of UCLA plans to keep working on the studies to have even better picture of the beneficial effects of flavonoids. They say that their main goal is to find the relationship between flavonoids and other smoking-related cancers, like neck, kidney and bladder cancers. The scientists would also like to find out which fruits and vegetables have the highest concentration of flavonoids, and their amount needed in the daily meals to give the best protection.

Tom Graham

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Posted on June 23, 2009 
Filed Under Facts on Smoking, Smoking and Health, Tobacco Research

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