Katharina Buczek
Lung cancer is the third most common cancer in the United States, following skin and breast cancers– with over 236,000 cases diagnosed in 2022 alone, according to the American Cancer Society.
The most significant risk factor includes smoking, with 80% to 90% of all lung cancer deaths being linked to smoking in the U.S. Other contributing factors include secondhand smoke, the inhalation of radon– a naturally occurring gas– and familial history of lung cancer.
Although, some scientists have begun studying how what we eat in our diets, such as various foods and dietary supplements, can have carcinogenic effects. The CDC has declared that taking beta-carotene supplements, along with smoking, can lead to an increased risk of lung cancer.
And on the flip side, researchers have also been working to understand if dietary modifications can help prevent cancer from forming in the first place.
Epidemiological data has supported the association between higher fruit intake and a lower risk of chronic disease onset.
This is particularly due to the bioactive properties present in fruits such as grapes, pomegranates, and blueberries.
More recently, though, a novel study conducted by researchers from Okayama University in Japan has found that the juice of Actinidia arguta– an edible vine fruit cultivated in Japan known as “Sarunashi”– may actually help prevent and reduce lung cancer.
Actinidia arguta has been known to be one of the richest sources of vitamin C and polyphenols. And in the past, scientists have shown that “Sarunashi” juice (sar-j) has an inhibitory effect on inflammation, mutagenesis (gene mutations), and mouse skin tumorigenesis– or the initial formation of a tumor.
During those experiments, the components of Actinidia arguta responsible for these effects were identified as being heat-sensitive and water-soluble phenolic compounds– in other words, a small group of molecules, known as secondary metabolites, which are produced in plants.
Sign up for Chip Chick’s newsletter and get stories like this delivered to your inbox.
