Food Additive Jump-Starts Lung Cancer

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Food Additive Jump-Starts Lung Cancer

Monday, December 29, 2008 9:53 AM

By: Sylvia Booth Hubbard

http://www.newsmax.com/health/food_additive_lung_cancer/2008/12/29/165976.html

Alarming new research shows that organic phosphates, which are

commonly added to many processed foods, may accelerate the growth of lung

cancer tumors and even trigger the development of tumors in people

predisposed to lung cancer. Phosphates are routinely added to food products

such as cheeses, meats, bakery products, and beverages in order to improve

texture and increase water retention.

The research, which was conducted at Seoul National University and

appears in the January issue of the American Thoracic Society's magazine

American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, was carried out

with mice. Study leader Myung-Haing Cho, D.V.M., Ph.D., said, " Our study

indicates that increased intake of inorganic phosphates strongly stimulates

lung cancer development in mice, and suggests that dietary regulation of

inorganic phosphates may be critical for lung cancer treatment as well as

prevention. "

Cancer of the lung is the most lethal of all cancers, and non-small

cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is the form it takes more than 75 percent of the

time. Previous research has shown that 9 out of 10 cases of NSCLC were

linked to the activation of signaling pathways in lung tissue, and the new

research shows that inorganic phosphates can stimulate the same pathways.

" Lung cancer is a disease of uncontrolled cell proliferation in lung

tissues, " said Dr. Cho, " and disruption of signaling pathways in those

tissues can confer a normal cell with malignant properties. "

Lung cancer-model mice used in the study received a four-week diet of

either 0.5 or 1.0 percent phosphate, which is an amount that simulates

modern human diets. When the effects of the two levels of dietary phosphates

were analyzed, the diet higher in phosphates, according to Dr. Cho, " caused

an increase in the size of the tumors and stimulated growth of the tumors. "

Dr. Cho said that while the 0.5 amount of phosphate was defined as

close to the equivalent " normal " amount in the average human diet today, the

real-world equivalent may be closer to the 1.0 amount or may even exceed it.

" In the 1990s, phosphorous-containing food additives contributed an

estimated 470 mg per day to the average daily adult diet, " Cho said.

" However, phosphates are currently being added much more frequently to a

large number of processed foods, including meats, cheeses, beverages, and

bakery products. As a result, depending on individual food choices,

phosphorous intake could be increased by as much as 1000 mg per day. "

Future studies will seek to determine " safe " levels of inorganic

phosphates. Future research will also address possible involvement of

phosphates in the development of lung cancer in smokers, since up to this

time no one has known why some smokers develop lung cancer while others

never do.