Le Marchand Loïc
Epidemiology Section, Cancer Research Center of Hawaii, University of Hawaii, Honolulu 96813, USA.
Biomed Pharmacother. 2002 Aug;56(6):296-301. doi: 10.1016/s0753-3322(02)00186-5.
A cancer protective effect from plant-derived foods has been found with uncommon consistency in epidemiologic studies. However, it has been difficult to identify specific components responsible for this effect. Many phytochemicals have been shown to be biologically active and they may interact to protect against cancer. In recent years, experimental studies have provided growing evidence for the beneficial action of flavonoids on multiple cancer-related biological pathways (carcinogen bioactivation, cell-signaling, cell cycle regulation, angiogenesis, oxidative stress, inflammation). Although the epidemiologic data on flavonoids and cancer are still limited and conflicting, some protective associations have been suggested for flavonoid-rich foods (soy and premenopausal breast cancer; green tea and stomach cancer; onion and lung cancer). This review focuses on the biological effects of the main flavonoids, as well as the epidemiologic evidence that support their potential cancer protective properties.
在流行病学研究中，已发现植物性食物具有罕见的一致的防癌作用。然而，很难确定造成这种作用的具体成分。许多植物化学物质已被证明具有生物活性，它们可能相互作用以预防癌症。近年来，实验研究越来越多地证明了黄酮类化合物对多种癌症相关生物学途径（致癌物生物活化、细胞信号传导、细胞周期调控、血管生成、氧化应激、炎症）具有有益作用。尽管关于黄酮类化合物与癌症的流行病学数据仍然有限且相互矛盾，但已有人提出富含黄酮类化合物的食物（大豆与绝经前乳腺癌；绿茶与胃癌；洋葱与肺癌）之间存在一些保护性关联。本综述重点关注主要黄酮类化合物的生物学效应，以及支持其潜在防癌特性的流行病学证据。
