Inflammaging and cancer: a challenge for the Mediterranean diet - PubMed (original) (raw)

Review

. 2015 Apr 9;7(4):2589-621.

doi: 10.3390/nu7042589.

Catia Lanzarini 2 [ 3](#full-view-affiliation-3 "Interdepartmental Centre "L. Galvani" (CIG) University of Bologna, Via San Giacomo 12, 40126 Bologna, Italy. catia.lanzarini2@unibo.it."), Elisa Pini 4, Maria Scurti 5, Dario Vianello 6, Claudia Bertarelli 7, Cristina Fabbri 8, Massimo Izzi [ 9](#full-view-affiliation-9 "Interdepartmental Centre "L. Galvani" (CIG) University of Bologna, Via San Giacomo 12, 40126 Bologna, Italy. massimo.izzi@unibo.it."), Giustina Palmas [ 10](#full-view-affiliation-10 "Interdepartmental Centre "L. Galvani" (CIG) University of Bologna, Via San Giacomo 12, 40126 Bologna, Italy. mariagiustina.palmas@unibo.it."), Fiammetta Biondi [ 11](#full-view-affiliation-11 "Interdepartmental Centre "L. Galvani" (CIG) University of Bologna, Via San Giacomo 12, 40126 Bologna, Italy. fiammetta.biondi2@unibo.it."), Morena Martucci 12, Elena Bellavista 13 [ 14](#full-view-affiliation-14 "Interdepartmental Centre "L. Galvani" (CIG) University of Bologna, Via San Giacomo 12, 40126 Bologna, Italy. elena.bellavista2@unibo.it."), Stefano Salvioli 15 [ 16](#full-view-affiliation-16 "Interdepartmental Centre "L. Galvani" (CIG) University of Bologna, Via San Giacomo 12, 40126 Bologna, Italy. stefano.salvioli@unibo.it."), Miriam Capri 17 [ 18](#full-view-affiliation-18 "Interdepartmental Centre "L. Galvani" (CIG) University of Bologna, Via San Giacomo 12, 40126 Bologna, Italy. miriam.capri@unibo.it."), Claudio Franceschi 8 19 20, Aurelia Santoro 21

Affiliations

Review

Inflammaging and cancer: a challenge for the Mediterranean diet

Rita Ostan et al. Nutrients. 2015.

Abstract

Aging is considered the major risk factor for cancer, one of the most important mortality causes in the western world. Inflammaging, a state of chronic, low-level systemic inflammation, is a pervasive feature of human aging. Chronic inflammation increases cancer risk and affects all cancer stages, triggering the initial genetic mutation or epigenetic mechanism, promoting cancer initiation, progression and metastatic diffusion. Thus, inflammaging is a strong candidate to connect age and cancer. A corollary of this hypothesis is that interventions aiming to decrease inflammaging should protect against cancer, as well as most/all age-related diseases. Epidemiological data are concordant in suggesting that the Mediterranean Diet (MD) decreases the risk of a variety of cancers but the underpinning mechanism(s) is (are) still unclear. Here we review data indicating that the MD (as a whole diet or single bioactive nutrients typical of the MD) modulates multiple interconnected processes involved in carcinogenesis and inflammatory response such as free radical production, NF-κB activation and expression of inflammatory mediators, and the eicosanoids pathway. Particular attention is devoted to the capability of MD to affect the balance between pro- and anti-inflammaging as well as to emerging topics such as maintenance of gut microbiota (GM) homeostasis and epigenetic modulation of oncogenesis through specific microRNAs.

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Figures

Figure 1

Figure 1

Among the main causes of inflammaging, we found the accumulation of pro-inflammatory factors, viruses and bacteria, age, reactive oxygen species (ROS) and cellular senescence. Inflammaging can also be influenced by many other factors, including non-immunological ones, and those not directly related to inflammation, such as microRNAs (miRs), circulating mitochondrial DNA (cmtDNA) and agalactosylated _N_-glycans, together with the products and related metabolites of the intestinal microbiota. Several pathways and molecules are triggered by these factors, which then are able to activate the nuclear transcription factor NF-κB which could be considered as a hub in carcinogenesis, linking inflammaging, cellular senescence and cancer.

Figure 2

Figure 2

Pyramid of Mediterranean lifestyle (inspired by the “Mediterranean Diet Foundation” Barcelona Spain). The size of different sectors of the pyramid is directly proportional to the frequency of use of that particular food or food group. At the base of the pyramid there are healthy habits and groups of foods to be eaten daily and in large quantities (i.e., fruit, vegetables, etc.). The upper levels show the foods to be eaten moderately (i.e., sweets, red meat, etc.).

Figure 3

Figure 3

Polyphenols control and reduce inflammation through a series of pathways preventing cancer and other age-related diseases with an inflammatory pathogenesis. Moreover, resveratrol, quercitin and other polyphenols exerted their anti-cancer and chemopreventive action through mechanism that mimic caloric restriction (sirtuin and mTOR pathways).

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