Role of dietary antioxidants in cancer

Abstract

Diets rich in fruits and vegetables are gaining increased importance due to their significant role in reducing the risk of degenerative disease such cancer, cardiovascular diseases and other chronic diseases. Many studies have shown that free radicals in the living organisms cause oxidative damage to different molecules, such as lipids, proteins, nucleic acids and these are involved in the interaction phases of many degenerative diseases. A diet is composed of food, which comprises a multitude of nutrients as well as non-nutritive components. Fruits and vegetables contain many antioxidant compounds including phenolic compounds, carotenoids, anthocyanins and tocopherols. Antioxidants are substances that delay or prevent the oxidation of cellular oxidizable substrates. They exert their effect by scavenging reactive oxygen species (ROS) and reactive nitrogen species (RNS) or preventing the generation of ROS/RNS. The study of diet and cancer risk reduction is complicated not only by the multistage, multifactorial nature of the disease, but also because of the inherent complexities of any diet. This chapter discusses the chemopreventive role of dietary intake of fruits and vegetables in the development of cancers. It focuses on the role of different group of phytochemicals and its possible role in the chemoprevention of cancer.