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E. H. JEFFERY and M. V. Eberhardt. Dept. of Food Science & Human Nutrition, Univ. of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, 905 S. Goodwin Ave., 499 Bevier Hall, MC 182, Urbana, IL 61801 A diet rich in fruits and vegetables appears to significantly decrease one's risk for a number of chronic diseases. Many plant secondary compounds present in fruits and vegetables have been identified as both antioxidants and anticarcinogens. Yet the relationship between antioxidant activity and anticarcinogenesis is unclear. Dietary levels of these compounds, often insufficient to cause lasting antioxidant activity, may cause temporary changes in intracellular thiol status. Through transitory changes in thiol biochemistry, these dietary factors may direct post-translational regulation of cellular pathways associated with proliferation of cancer cells. Capping of reactive sulfhydryl groups or cell signaling proteins by glutathione, thioredoxin or cysteine may, like phosphorylation of cell signaling proteins, regulate signaling within cells. Changes in redox and thiolation of proteins caused by bioactive dietary components may provide the link between "antioxidant" nutrients and death of the cancer cell.
Session 71, An update on antioxidants in fruits, vegetables and whole grains
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