The benefits of a Mediterranean diet have long been extolled, but recently a new discovery might make it even more valuable to those who adopt it.
The diet appears to have the ability to alter the genetic component of cancer cells, a component that renders it 'immortal', and by doing so, makes the cell mortal.
What the genetic component does, is tell the cell when to switch off and die as it is scheduled to do according with its genetic code. Healthy cells have an encoded 'timer' which let them die, to avoid mistakes in replication, which are the foremost reason for cancer.
The reason why cancer cells are so dangerous and different from other cells, is that they self inhibit the process that would see them decay in the way all cells do once they have reached a certain point.
And while some foods actually help inhibit the 'die' factor, some others reset the cell to die as programmed.
The compounds believed to be involved in this re-setting process are apigenin and other flavonoids, a family of plant compounds that are strongly believed to prevent or revert certain disease processes.
One of the researchers in the study describes his work in this way : You can imagine all the potentially affected proteins as tiny fishes in a big bowl. We introduce this molecule to the bowl and effectively lure only the truly affected proteins based on structural characteristics that form an attraction," Doseff said. "We know this is a real partnership because we can see that the proteins and apigenin bind to each other."
Doseff, also noted that abnormal splicing is the culprit of an estimated 80% of cancers. This splicing is in essence the trick that allows them to survive the die off process.
Apitenin then, restores the single splice characteristics in breast cancer cells, 'fixing' the die off mechanism. And if the cells do not die, they at least are much more susceptible to cancer treatment.
Source : Science Daily 5.21.13
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