Cancer-fighting power discovered from nutrients found in eggs and vegetables

New research recently published in the medical journal Cell Reports Medicine shows that zeaxanthin has the ability to boost the immune system to fight cancer.

Scientists from the University of Chicago (USA) screened a series of nutrients in the blood to see how they affect the immune system.

The results found that zeaxanthin had a direct effect on CD8+ T cells, the type of cells that play the role of "warriors" in destroying cancer cells. Tests showed that zeaxanthin helped these T cells function more strongly, transmit signals better, and produce more anti-cancer substances. In other words, they became more effective in finding and destroying tumors, according to the science news site Scitech Daily .

Zeaxanthin is found in egg yolks, dark green vegetables such as kale and broccoli... and has anti-cancer effects.

Photo: AI

Notable research results

In mice, when zeaxanthin was added to the diet, tumor growth was slowed. Notably, when zeaxanthin was combined with a common type of immunotherapy (immune checkpoint inhibitors), the tumor-killing effect was even greater than with either therapy alone.

Not only on animals, experiments with human T cells also gave positive results. When treated with zeaxanthin, these cells were better at destroying many different types of cancer, such as skin cancer (melanoma), multiple myeloma or malignant brain tumors.

The study authors say the findings are significant because zeaxanthin is already available in many foods and over-the-counter supplements. It is cheap, easy to find, safe, and has long been known to humans. Therefore, this substance has the potential to become an "assistant" in cancer treatments, helping to increase effectiveness without causing major side effects.

Dr Jing Chen, lead author of the study, concluded: This discovery opens a new direction in research on using substances in food to affect the immune system. However, to be widely applied to cancer patients, clinical trials still need to be conducted to confirm the effectiveness.

This study shows that sometimes familiar nutrients in daily meals can play an important role in the fight against incurable diseases such as cancer, according to Scitech Daily.

Where is zeaxanthin found?

Foods rich in zeaxanthin include egg yolks, dark green vegetables such as kale and broccoli, and yellow fruits and vegetables such as mango, cantaloupe, yellow corn, papaya, red grapes, honeydew melon, orange bell peppers, carrots, pumpkin, and goji berries.

Among them, eggs, especially the yolks, are an excellent and highly bioavailable source of zeaxanthin.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/phat-hien-suc-manh-chong-ung-thu-tu-chat-dinh-duong-co-trong-trung-va-rau-qua-185250930230843273.htm