Dietary support and cancer

According to the World Health Organisation cancer rates could increase by 50% to 15 million new cases by the year 2020.
Particular nutritional and herbal constituents possess the ability to improve outcomes in oncology. Curcumin, green tea, Reishi, and Shitake mushrooms and selenium all have shown promising results in cancer support.

One action which has been identified in their ability to support cancer treatment is the targeting of caspase enzymes, also known as the “enzymes of death”. Deregulation of cancer cells life cycle is vital in stalling tumour development, and caspase enzymes play a key role by inducing apoptosis (cell death).
Selenium and curcumin, for example may trigger this process by modulating the release of free calcium and assembling reactive oxygen species, that is, molecules containing oxygen.
A 2012 Cochrane Review by Jin et al. established that Reishi could successfully be used as an adjunct in cancer treatment.
In vitro studies show that combinations of mushrooms possess greater anticarcinogenic activity working synergistically.

For approximately 5000 years green tea has been cultivated and consumed throughout many parts of the world. Green tea polyphenols (particularly EGCG), affect tumour proliferation via numerous pathways, including caspase activation. In vitro studies display green tea’s ability to trigger TNF death receptors, with induced apoptosis in tumour cells.

Indeed in a recent study from Pennsylvania State University, the authors examined the effect of EGCG (plant chemical in green tea) on oral cancer cells, and found that a modulator (SIRT3) needed for healthy cell function and longevity, was suppressed in the cancer cells and unregulated in normal cells. This discriminatory action enabled green tea to selectively destroy cancer cells, whilst protecting the function of healthy cells.

A systematic review of 50 clinic trials involving 8,521 patients using supplements concomitantly with standard oncology treatments, concluded that these supplement constituents enhance the targeted killing action of conventional therapeutics in cancer, decrease the side effects of orthodox treatment, protect non-cancerous tissue and prolong survival.

Caspase enzyme induction is one of the mechanisms used to achieve this.