New frontiers in disease management and cancer treatment

In a recent study published in Nature, Signal transduction and targeted therapyscientists examined the therapeutic potential and molecular mechanisms by which dietary interventions influence a wide range of human diseases, including cardiovascular diseases, autoimmune diseases, neurodegenerative diseases, metabolic diseases, and even cancer.

study: Effects of dietary intervention on human disease: molecular mechanisms and therapeutic potential. Image credit: udra11/Shutterstock.com

background

Diet and nutrition play a fundamental role in human health, and the quantity, composition, quality, and timing of meals are important factors that determine the availability of nutrients and, in turn, regulate physiological processes. To do.

Recent research has also focused on understanding how diet influences the course of the disease. However, information regarding the effects of specific dietary components on disease prevention and risk remains lacking.

Various epidemiological studies have shown that certain dietary patterns modulate the risk of various diseases, including cancer.

A diet rich in sugar and saturated fat is increases risk of diabetes When it comes to cardiovascular disease, a diet based on vegetables, fruits, and fiber is thought to reduce the risk of metabolic and cardiovascular disease.

Similarly, a diet high in processed meats and alcohol is thought to increase the risk of cancer, while a Mediterranean diet is thought to lower the risk.

Tumor metabolic pathways and nutrient availability

The researchers reviewed existing knowledge about the differences in nutritional requirements and metabolic pathways between the tumor microenvironment and surrounding healthy tissue.

The immunosuppressive environment inside the tumor is the result of cancer cells depriving immune cells of essential metabolites such as oxygen and glucose, increasing levels of adenosine, lactase, and other mediators, further reducing immune cell function.

Metabolic reprogramming that occurs within the tumor microenvironment affects different immune cell subsets.

The main metabolic pathways of immune cells thought to be reprogrammed within the tumor microenvironment include the tricarboxylic acid cycle, glycolysis, pentose phosphate pathway, oxidative phosphorylation, amino acid pathway, and fatty acid synthesis.

In this review, we investigated each of these pathways in terms of changes in nutritional requirements and metabolic properties within the tumor microenvironment.

Diet and cancer

A thorough understanding of the metabolic pathways of macronutrients such as proteins, fats, and carbohydrates will allow us to better understand the impact of dietary interventions on diseases such as cancer.

Systemic metabolism can be regulated by regulating the intake of macronutrients and influencing the metabolic pathways utilized by these macronutrients.

Special diets and dietary restrictions such as ketogenic diets, calorie-restricted diets, high-fat diets, fasting-mimicking diets, and even high-salt diets are based on the concept of regulating whole-body metabolism by regulating macronutrient intake.

In this review, we have discussed these different dietary interventions in detail and provided a comprehensive overview of the molecular mechanisms by which specific diets influence clinical outcomes in cancer patients.

The researchers also reviewed studies that evaluated the role of dietary factors in cancer treatment, particularly the use of nutritional interventions for improvement. efficacy of Immunotherapy and other cancer treatments.

Calorie restriction was found to increase the following responses: T cells To immunotherapy. In contrast, the use of calorie restriction mimetics has improved the efficacy of chemotherapy and immunotherapy.

Caloric restriction has also been shown to be effective in modulating the tumor microenvironment when combined with radiotherapy in triple-negative breast cancer.

This review comprehensively analyzed the results from various studies that investigated the effectiveness of specific dietary restrictions in combination with different cancer treatments in modulating the tumor microenvironment.

The scientists also discussed the changes induced in the gut microbiome through dietary interventions and the effectiveness of altering the gut microbiome in conjunction with cancer treatment.

Studies have found that changes in the diversity and composition of the gut microbiota through dietary intervention alter the levels of microbiota-derived metabolites that directly impact antitumor activity.

Dietary interventions and other diseases

This review also discusses the role of dietary interventions in preventing or delaying, or in some cases inducing progression of, cardiovascular, neurodegenerative, metabolic, and autoimmune diseases.

They looked at the relationship between nutrient availability, dietary patterns, and neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, epilepsy, and Huntington's disease.

The impact of diet on autoimmune diseases such as systemic lupus erythematosus, Hashimoto's thyroiditis, inflammatory bowel disease, and multiple sclerosis is also addressed in this review.

conclusion

Overall, the results of this review demonstrate that dietary interventions play an important role in human health and disease, and that some interventions, alone or in combination with other treatments, can improve the progression of diseases such as cancer. have been shown to slow down the onset of cancer and improve the effectiveness of treatments. This increases the risk of various diseases such as