Pierini Roberto, Gee Jennifer M, Belshaw Nigel J, Johnson Ian T
Institute of Food Research, Norwich Research Park, Colney, Norwich NR4 7UA, UK.
Br J Nutr. 2008 May;99 E Suppl 1:ES53-9. doi: 10.1017/S0007114508965764.
Cancers of the gastrointestinal tract are amongst the most common causes of death from cancer, but there is substantial variation in incidence across populations. This is consistent with a major causative role for diet. There is convincing evidence that fruits and vegetables protect against cancers of the upper alimentary tract and the large bowel, and this has focused attention on biologically active phytochemicals, and on flavonoids in particular. Many flavonoids exert anticarcinogenic effects in vitro and in animals, and many of these effects occur via signalling pathways known to be important in the pathogenesis of colorectal, gastric and oesophageal cancers. However dietary flavonoid intakes are generally low and their metabolism in humans is extremely complex. The advent of new post-genomic technologies will do much to address these problems by making it possible to monitor patterns of gene expression in humans to provide essential molecular biomarkers of early disease. By combining such data with knowledge of the dietary exposure and bioavailability of the most effective compounds it will be possible to predict the most effective dietary sources and to properly evaluate the potential role of flavonoids in clinical nutrition.
胃肠道癌症是癌症致死的最常见原因之一，但不同人群的发病率存在显著差异。这与饮食的主要致病作用相一致。有确凿证据表明，水果和蔬菜可预防上消化道和大肠癌症，这使得人们将注意力集中在具有生物活性的植物化学物质上，尤其是黄酮类化合物。许多黄酮类化合物在体外和动物实验中具有抗癌作用，其中许多作用是通过已知在结直肠癌、胃癌和食管癌发病机制中起重要作用的信号通路实现的。然而，膳食黄酮类化合物的摄入量普遍较低，且其在人体内的代谢极其复杂。新的后基因组技术的出现将有助于解决这些问题，通过监测人类基因表达模式，提供早期疾病的重要分子生物标志物。将这些数据与最有效化合物的膳食暴露和生物利用度知识相结合，将有可能预测最有效的膳食来源，并正确评估黄酮类化合物在临床营养中的潜在作用。
