Lifestyle, in any part of the world, is associated with the occurrence of major chronic diseases, including coronary heart disease, hypertension, and stroke; many distinct types of cancer; and adult onset diabetes (11,22,70,75). One important element of lifestyle is tobacco use, which appreciably increases the risk of a number of chronic diseases (21). Other lifestyle factors relate to nutritional traditions, alcohol use, and exercise (11,30,58,60,70,71). The underlying evidence is, in part, based on the evidence of specific diseases in relation to dietary habits in a given geographic region, as well as changes in such disease occurrences in migrant populations from a low risk to a high risk area, and vice versa (25,42). Populations that customarily consume fruits and vegetables and also whole grain cereal products generally have a lower risk of cardiovascular diseases and specific types of cancer than populations with a lower intake of such foods, everything else being equal (63). In the last few years, research has provided mechanistic explanations as to the reasons for the protective effects of specific foods. This paper will emphasize the mechanisms whereby cancer risks are reduced by dietary modification.

The papers are arranged in eight sections, addressing: antimutagens in food; antimutagens and anticarcinogens in environmental toxicology; free radicals; antitumor initiators; antitumor promoters; aspects of mammalian and human genetics; molecular aspects of mutagenesis and antimutageneis; and oncog

This volume includes contributions presented at the Second International Sym posium on Nutrition and Cancer, held in Naples, Italy, in October 1998 at the National Tumor Institute "Fondazione Pascale." During the Conference, experts from different disciplines discussed pivotal and timely subjects on the interactions between human nutrition and the development of malignancies. Comparing the themes of this Meeting with those discussed at the First Sympo sium in 1992, the major scientific advancements certainly derive from the extensive use of molecular approaches to perform research in nutrition. Moreover, the fundamental observation of R. Doll and R. Peto (1981), which suggested that at least 35% of all cancers (with large differences among different tumors) might be prevented by dietary regimens, has been definitively confirmed by epidemiological studies. On the other hand, the relationships between diet and cancer are quite intricate and complex; it is difficult, and at the same time not methodologically correct, to reduce them to simple terms. Metabolic and hormonal factors, contaminants and biological agents, and deficiency of specific protective nutrients are all pieces of the same puzzle.

Despite increasing knowledge of human nutrition, the dietary contribution to cancer remains a troubling question. Carcinogens and Anticarcinogens assembles the best available information on the magnitude of potential cancer riskâ€"and potential anticarcinogenic effectâ€"from naturally occurring chemicals compared with risk from synthetic chemical constituents. The committee draws important conclusions about diet and cancer, including the carcinogenic role of excess calories and fat, the anticarcinogenic benefit of fiber and other substances, and the impact of food additive regulation. The book offers recommendations for epidemiological and diet research. Carcinogens and Anticarcinogens provides a readable overview of issues and addresses critical questions: Does diet contribute to an appreciable proportion of human cancer? Are there significant interactions between carcinogens and anticarcinogens in the diet? The volume discusses the mechanisms of carcinogenic and anticarcinogenic properties and considers whether techniques used to evaluate the carcinogenic potential of synthetics can be used with naturally occurring chemicals. The committee provides criteria for prioritizing the vast number of substances that need to be tested. Carcinogens and Anticarcinogens clarifies the issues and sets the direction for further investigations into diet and cancer. This volume will be of interest to anyone involved in food and health issues: policymakers, regulators, researchers, nutrition professionals, and health advocates.

The medicinal uses of Curcumin (also called turmeric) have been known and described for more than 5000 years. A large body of recent research suggests that curcumin is potentially useful in the treatment of inflammatory diseases, through modulation of numerous molecular targets. This is the first monograph to focus on the potential use of curcumin in the treatment of cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, arthritis, Alzheimer’s, psoriasis and more.