A healthy immune system is better equipped to deal with cancer and other disease. Polyphenols are organic compounds that are abundant in plants. They have an important role in modulating our biochemical pathways to reduce levels of inflammation and hence boost our immune system.
For free Immune Boosting Recipe, see end of post.
Inflammation and our immune system
“Adequate and appropriate nutrition is required for all cells to function optimally and this includes the cells in the immune system. An “activated” immune system further increases the demand for energy during periods of infection, with greater basal energy expenditure during fever for example.
Thus, optimal nutrition for the best immunological outcomes would be nutrition, which supports the functions of immune cells allowing them to initiate effective responses against pathogens but also to resolve the response rapidly when necessary and to avoid any underlying chronic inflammation.
The immune system’s demands for energy and nutrients can be met from exogenous sources i.e., the diet, or if dietary sources are inadequate, from endogenous sources such as body stores.
Some micronutrients and dietary components have very specific roles in the development and maintenance of an effective immune system throughout the life course or in reducing chronic inflammation.”1
Childs CE, Calder PC, Miles EA. Diet and Immune Function. Nutrients. 2019;11(8):1933.
Polyphenols can be immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory and dietary polyphenols have role in reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease, some neurological diseases, and cancer.
Polyphenols and our Biochemical Pathways
Polyphenols can modulate the Notch pathway (NFκ B) activation cascade at different steps and the MAPK pathway. Polyphenols’ activity is specific, it depends on the cell types as well as the structure of the polyphenol itself. Polyphenols can block TNF α release (TNF, which stands for tumor necrosis factor, is a substance in your body that causes inflammation) by modulating MAPK pathway at different levels of the signaling pathway2.
Higher production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) is associated with oxidative stress and protein oxidation. Inflammatory molecules and different inflammatory signals are triggered by protein oxidations.
Overproduction of ROS can prompt tissue injury that might initiates the inflammatory process. Polyphenols are known for their antioxidant activities; they scavenge a wide-ranging selection of ROS. Polyphenols can scavenge and bond to free radicals and chelate (grab and bond to) metal ions.
For more understanding on the biochemical pathways that cancer hijacks and that we can potentially suppress CLICK HERE
Curcumin is a polyphenol with these abilities.
Polyphenols compounds can modulate epithelial-mesenchymal transitions (EMT) and its related signaling pathways. See my post for more about Targeting the EMT pathway and cancer.
Anti-tumorigenic activities of polyphenols (Diagram modified from Yahfoufi et al 2.)
MAPK: mitogen-activated protein kinase; NFκB: nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells; PI3K: phosphatidylinositide 3-kinase; ERK: extracellular signal-related kinases; ROS: reactive oxygen species; COX: cyclooxygenase; EMT: epithelial mesenchymal transition; HIF-1α: hypoxia-inducible factor 1-aplha.
“Through variable mechanisms, polyphenols broadly downregulate inflammation origination, progression, and evolution to cancers2”.
Yahfoufi N, Alsadi N, Jambi M, Matar C. The Immunomodulatory and Anti-Inflammatory Role of Polyphenols. Nutrients. 2018;10(11).
Immune Foods
In addition to curcumin, other polyphenols that boost the immune system and act against cancer, are luteolin and quercetin.
Luteolin is found in celery, thyme, green peppers, and chamomile tea. Foods rich in quercetin include capers, apples, and onions.
So you can include these foods into your diet to give your biochemical pathways a hand in stopping cancers from hijacking these metabolic highways.
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Supporting Studies
1. Childs CE, Calder PC, Miles EA. Diet and Immune Function. Nutrients. 2019;11(8):1933.
2. Yahfoufi N, Alsadi N, Jambi M, Matar C. The Immunomodulatory and Anti-Inflammatory Role of Polyphenols. Nutrients. 2018;10(11).