Apples are an ally in cancer prevention

Postharvest, poscosecha, postcosecha, customer During the last edition of the fair Interpoma, 2012, a conference focused on the nutritional properties of the object of the fair fruit, apple, especially those aspects that have to do with its use in the cancer prevention.We all know the English saying that "an apple a day keeps the doctor away", but scientists work analyzing the veracity of this belief and trying to identify the apple compounds responsible.Eva Negri's conference, the Dipartimento di Epidemiology, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche "Mario Negri", Milano, included general comments on the consumption of fruits and vegetables, such as that a diet rich in vegetables protects against these common epithelial cancers, including particularly digestive tract. That about 20 to 40% of cancers of the digestive tract in Italy can be attributed to low consumption of fruit and vegetables.And, the positive information:? For most cancers adding one portion per day of fruit or vegetable leads to a decrease in risk of about 10-20%.A diet rich in fruit and vegetables protects against common epithelial cancers, including in particular those of the digestive tract.? Apples are a source of several phytochemicals, including flavonoids (in particular, catechins and flavonols) and phenolic acids. When compared with other commonly consumed fruits, apples had the second highest level of antioxidant activity (after cranberries) and phenolic compounds, and the highest level of free phenolic compounds ?Apples and cancer To understand better the role of apples on risk of cancer at several sites, we considered data from a large and integrated network of case?control studies conducted in Italy, including detailed information on several fruit items, as well as on a large number of potential confounding factors.? The results were published 2005 in an paper with the original name ?Does an apple a day keep the oncologist away??, by S. Gallus et al., en Annals of Oncology 16: 1841-1844.Fruit and vegetable consumption biologic mechanismThe protective effect of fruit and vegetables on cancers of the oral cavity, larynx, esophagus, stomach and colorectum suggests common aspects of cancerogenesis at the digestive and respiratory tract level, at least in part mitigated by a beneficial effect of vitamins or other compoundsMicronutrientesLow fruit and vegetable consumption leads to low availability of several compounds that:a) Neutralize carcinogens;b) diluite carcinogen formation;c) Reduce the proliferative ability of transformed cells;e) Act as antioxidants.It is still uncertain which compounds are mostly responsible for the beneficial effect of fruit and vegetables (vitamins, carotenoids, folates, flavonoids)Apples are rich in compounds with antioxidants, some of them with strong antioxidant properties, and could have favorable effects on cancer.Conclusions?A diet rich in foods of plant origin is associated with a lower risk of cancer.?Apples are a fruit of specific interest, since they are cheap and easy to store and transport.?Epidemiologic studies have specifically found lower risk of cancer in high apple consumers.?Research to identify compounds responsible for this protection is still underway Apples are an ally in cancer prevention