reducing DNA damage with vegetable juices

From: Doug Skrecky (oberon@vcn.bc.ca)
Date: Thu Oct 15 1998 - 16:08:06 MDT


Authors
  Pool-Zobel BL. Bub A. Muller H. Wollowski I. Rechkemmer G.
Institution
  Institute of Nutritional Physiology, Federal Research Centre for Nutrition,
  Karlsruhe, Germany.
Title
  Consumption of vegetables reduces genetic damage in humans: first results of
  a human intervention trial with carotenoid-rich foods.
Source
  Carcinogenesis. 18(9):1847-50, 1997 Sep.
Abstract
  A human intervention study with vegetable products has been performed in
  twenty three healthy, non smoking males aged 27-40. It was the aim of the
  study to assess whether consumption of vegetables containing different
  carotenoids could protect against DNA damage and oxidative DNA damage. The
  subjects consumed their normal diets, but abstained from vegetables high in
  carotenoids throughout the study period. After a 2 week depletion period,
  they received daily 330 ml tomato juice
  with 40 mg lycopene (weeks 3 and 4), 330 ml carrot juice
  with 22.3 mg beta-carotene and 15.7 mg alpha-carotene (weeks 5 and 6), and 10
  g dried spinach powder (in water or milk) with 11.3 mg lutein (weeks 7 and
  8). Blood was collected weekly and DNA damage was detected in peripheral
  blood lymphocytes with the 'COMET' assay. Oxidised DNA bases were detected by
  including an incubation step with endonuclease III. The supplementation of
  the diet with tomato, carrot or spinach products resulted in
  a significant decrease in endogenous levels of strand breaks in lymphocyte
  DNA. Oxidative base damage was significantly reduced during the carrot
  juice intervention. These findings support the hypothesis
  that carotenoid containing plant products exert a cancer-protective effect
  via a decrease in oxidative and other damage to DNA in humans.



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