Eating Fabulous

Grapefruit and Orange Flavonoid Prevents Cancer by Repairing DNA

by ruth on February 6th, 2007

A study published in the Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry reports that naringenin, a flavonoid compound found in grapefruit and oranges may help prevent cancer, and not just because of its antioxidant properties. Apparently naringenin induced DNA repair in human prostate cancer cell cultures (cell line LNCaP).

The degree of repair was measured by the ratio between deoxyguanosine (dG) and 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine (8-OH-dG). The former is found in normal DNA, while the latter is the product of hydroxyl radical attack – found in damaged DNA.

After 24 hours of exposure to 80 micromoles per liter of naringenin, the ratio of 8 -OH-dG to dG had decreased by 24 per cent, showing that the flavonoid had stimulated DNA repair.

Naringenin is proposed to perform DNA repair by stimulating base excision repair, as indicated by increases in two of the main enzymes in the BER pathway, DNA poly-beta and hOGG1.

The study is a year old, but if you would like further reading, you can get the abstract from Science Direct (full text requires subscription or purchase).

via: The Skinny Kid

Share This

Related Stories

Go Ga Ga for Grapefruit!
Breakfast Tip #1: Orange Pineapple Smoothie
Orange Cauliflowers
Database for the Flavonoid Content of Selected Foods
What Fruit Peel Do You Eat?

POSTED IN: Healthy Eating, ~Cancer, ~Fruit and Vegetables