Another anti-cancer plus for fruit and veg

Scientists from the UK Institute of Food Research have found a new possible explanation for why people who eat more fruit and vegetables may gain protection against the spread of cancers.

They say that a fragment released from pectin, found in all fruits and vegetables, binds to and is believed to inhibit galectin 3, a protein that plays a role in all stages of cancer progression.

Population studies such as the EPIC trial identified a strong link between eating lots of fiber and a lower risk of cancers of the gastrointestinal tract, but exactly how fiber exerts a protective effect is unknown. Interaction between dietary carbohydrates and mammalian proteins may provide an explanation for the effect, according to the researchers. Other food carbohydrates, such as beta glucans, are considered to be bioactive and their anti-cancer action can be attributed to different types of carbohydrate to mammalian protein interactions.