Diet manipulation and prevention of aging, cancer and autoimmune disease

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Curr Opin Clin Nutr Metab Care. 2005 Jul;8(4):382-7.

Diet manipulation and prevention of aging, cancer and autoimmune

disease.

Jolly CA.

Division of Nutritional Sciences, The University of Texas at Austin,

Austin, Texas, USA.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Dietary supplementation and other dietary regimens

have become increasingly popular in the US population. Information

regarding how different dietary constituents interact when consumed

simultaneously is needed. This review examines the recent literature

on how different dietary constituents may interact physiologically

when consumed in combination. Furthermore, the potential human

relevance of calorie restriction and nonclassical function of vitamin

E is discussed.

RECENT FINDINGS: Long-term calorie restriction in monkeys has shown

similar beneficial effects as has been shown in rodents. Limited

calorie restriction studies in humans have shown promise in reducing

the incidence of heart disease and breast cancer. The combination of

calorie restriction and omega-3 fatty acids may be a more potent

antiinflammatory diet than either regimen alone. The type of fiber

that is most protective against colon cancer may be dependent on the

type of dietary fat consumed simultaneously. Vitamin E derivatives

that possess no antioxidant activity may be potent inhibitors of

cancer, but not normal, cell growth.

SUMMARY: Dietary modification has shown its greatest beneficial effect when

started prior to or immediately after the onset of disease. Also, understanding

how the subtypes or isoforms of nutrients function is important since their

physiological effects may be drastically different. It is important to

understand the entire dietary profile of an individual when making dietary

recommendations because one nutrient, or dietary ingredient, may enhance or

cancel out the beneficial effects of another dietary ingredient.