dietary-cancer-prevention
Dietary cancer prevention is the study of how plant-derived compounds and nutritional patterns can reduce cancer risk through bioactive molecules such as polyphenols, flavonoids, and glucosinolates. Plant science plays a central role in this field by identifying, characterizing, and optimizing the biosynthetic pathways that produce these protective phytochemicals in edible species. Understanding how growing conditions, genetics, and post-harvest handling affect phytochemical concentrations helps researchers develop crops with enhanced cancer-preventive properties.
open_in_new WikipediaPubMed · 2026-04-27
A natural compound called (+)-matairesinol, found in extra virgin olive oil, helps the immune system fight breast cancer by activating cancer-killing T-cells. In mouse studies, olive oil treatment cut cancer spread to the lungs by 59%, improved survival by 38%, and boosted the effectiveness of a leading immunotherapy drug by 53%.
Olive oil lignans reduced lung metastasis by approximately 59% in a triple-negative breast cancer mouse model
(+)-Matairesinol improved overall survival by 38% and synergized with anti-PD-1 immunotherapy to boost its efficacy by 53%
The compound works by activating the JAK3-STAT1 signaling pathway, which ramps up production of cancer-killing proteins granzyme B and interferon-gamma in T-cells
