diet Fermented Foods / ROS Cancer Research Results

dietF, diet Fermented Foods: Click to Expand ⟱
Features:
Fermented Food. Some studies suggest that certain fermented foods (such as yogurt, kefir, sauerkraut, kimchi, and miso) can have health-promoting properties. These benefits may be due to probiotics (beneficial bacteria), bioactive compounds, and fermentation-derived metabolites.

• Probiotics have been investigated for their potential to improve gut health and modulate the immune system. A robust gut microbiome may play a role in reducing systemic inflammation, which has been linked to a lower risk of several chronic diseases, including some types of cancer.

• Fermented foods are often just one component of a diverse diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean proteins, which collectively can contribute to a reduced risk of chronic diseases.

https://haelan951.com/
https://avemar.com/

Dietary fermented foods — foods and beverages produced through controlled microbial growth and enzymatic conversion of food constituents. This dietary category includes yogurt, kefir, cultured vegetables, kimchi, sauerkraut, miso, tempeh, natto and selected fermented beverages. It is formally classified as a microbiome-modulating dietary intervention rather than a drug, defined probiotic or standardized therapeutic product. The database abbreviation is dietF. Effects depend strongly on the food substrate, microbial strains, fermentation conditions, processing, storage and serving size. Fermented foods may deliver viable microorganisms, microbial structural components and fermentation-derived metabolites, but not every fermented food contains live organisms or clinically validated probiotic strains.

Primary mechanisms (ranked):

  1. Modulation of gut microbial community structure and function by food-associated microorganisms, microbial substrates and fermentation-derived metabolites.
  2. Enhancement of intestinal epithelial-barrier integrity and competitive suppression of potentially pathogenic or pro-inflammatory microorganisms.
  3. Immune modulation, including reduced systemic inflammatory signalling and altered innate and adaptive immune-cell activation.
  4. Generation or delivery of bioactive metabolites, including organic acids, short-chain fatty-acid-related substrates, peptides, transformed polyphenols and microbial cell-wall components.
  5. Modification of dietary carcinogen exposure through altered microbial metabolism, improved food preservation and degradation of selected antinutrients or potentially harmful compounds.
  6. Context-dependent modulation of oxidative-stress and NRF2-linked cytoprotective pathways; this is secondary and varies substantially among individual foods.

Bioavailability / PK relevance: Conventional systemic pharmacokinetics are not applicable because fermented foods are complex dietary matrices rather than single molecular agents. Exposure is concentrated in the gastrointestinal tract and includes transient exposure to viable microbes, microbial components and locally generated metabolites. Some metabolites and transformed nutrients are systemically absorbed, but their concentrations vary with food composition, processing, host digestion and baseline microbiota. Pasteurization, cooking and prolonged storage can eliminate viable microorganisms while retaining some fermentation-derived metabolites.

In-vitro vs systemic exposure relevance: Direct cancer-cell experiments using concentrated fermented-food extracts, purified microbial metabolites or culture supernatants frequently use exposures that cannot be directly reproduced by ordinary dietary intake. Whole-food effects are primarily microbiome-mediated, luminal and host-metabolic rather than concentration-driven direct cytotoxicity. Results from one fermented product, microbial strain or extract should not be generalized to the entire category.

Clinical evidence status: Human dietary evidence is moderate for modulation of microbiome diversity, immune markers and selected cardiometabolic outcomes, but remains product-specific and heterogeneous. A controlled feeding trial reported increased microbiome diversity and reduced inflammatory markers during a high-fermented-food diet. Cancer-prevention evidence is predominantly observational and differs by food type, population and tumour site. Direct anticancer treatment evidence is preliminary, with pilot studies and isolated reports rather than definitive oncology RCTs. Fermented foods should therefore be classified as a supportive dietary exposure, not a demonstrated cancer treatment or substitute for standard therapy.


Examples: Cheese, Kefir, Fermented Dairy, Fermented Apple puree, Kombucha, Kochujang, Vinegar, Yogurt


Mechanistic Effects of Dietary Fermented Foods

Rank Pathway / Axis Cancer Cells Normal Cells TSF Primary Effect Notes / Interpretation
1 Gut microbiome composition and function ↓ tumour-supportive microbial signalling (context-dependent) ↑ microbial diversity and functional resilience G Microbiome modulation Effects depend on the food, viable microbial content, baseline diet and host microbiome. Food-associated organisms are often transient rather than permanently engrafting.
2 Intestinal epithelial barrier ↓ exposure to microbial inflammatory products (indirect) ↑ tight-junction integrity and mucosal defence (context-dependent) G Barrier support Organic acids, microbial components and altered resident microbiota may reduce permeability and endotoxin translocation. Evidence is stronger mechanistically than clinically.
3 Innate and adaptive immune regulation ↑ immune surveillance or antitumour responsiveness (model-dependent) ↓ excessive inflammatory activation and ↑ immune regulation G Immune-state modulation A controlled human dietary study found broad reductions in inflammatory proteins, but clinical oncology benefit has not been established.
4 NF-κB and inflammatory cytokine signalling ↓ pro-survival inflammatory signalling (indirect, model-dependent) ↓ IL-6, TNF-related and inflammatory signalling (context-dependent) G Reduced chronic inflammation The magnitude and direction vary among fermented dairy, soy, vegetable and beverage products.
5 Microbial metabolites and short-chain fatty-acid axis ↓ proliferation and ↑ differentiation or apoptosis in colorectal models (metabolite-dependent) ↑ colonocyte energy support and regulatory immune signalling G Metabolic and epigenetic modulation Fermented foods may supply metabolites directly or alter resident microbial metabolism. Butyrate-related effects are most relevant in the colon and should not be generalized systemically.
6 Food-derived bioactive transformation ↓ proliferation and survival pathways (high concentration only) ↑ nutrient accessibility and bioactive-metabolite exposure G Generation of bioactive compounds Fermentation can alter isoflavones, phenolics, peptides and vitamins. The resulting composition is highly product-specific.
7 Pathogen and pathobiont suppression ↓ microbe-associated tumour-promoting signals (indirect) ↓ pathogen colonization through organic acids, bacteriocins and competitive exclusion R/G Ecological competition Most evidence concerns gastrointestinal ecology and food preservation rather than direct tumour suppression.
8 Oxidative stress and NRF2 regulation ↑ or ↓ NRF2 and ROS responses (product-dependent) ↑ NRF2-linked cytoprotection and antioxidant capacity (context-dependent) R/G Secondary redox modulation Fermented-food extracts may increase tumour-cell ROS while protecting normal cells, but these findings generally involve concentrated experimental preparations.
9 Carcinogen and xenobiotic metabolism ↓ genotoxic exposure and DNA damage (indirect, model-dependent) ↑ detoxification or microbial sequestration of selected compounds G Modification of luminal carcinogen exposure Potential benefits are compound-specific. Some poorly controlled fermentations can instead generate undesirable metabolites or contamination.
10 Metabolic and glycemic regulation ↓ growth-supporting metabolic environment (indirect) ↓ fasting glucose, triglycerides or blood pressure in selected studies G Systemic metabolic support Observed effects are generally small and differ by product. They should not be presented as a uniform property of all fermented foods.
11 Clinical Translation Constraint ↔ unproven direct therapeutic effect ↔ variable benefit and tolerability G Heterogeneous exposure and limited oncology trials Major constraints include nonstandardized microbial composition, absent viable organisms in some products, variable doses, high sodium or sugar, biogenic amines, contamination risk and confounding by the overall dietary pattern.

P: 0–30 min    R: 30 min–3 hr    G: >3 hr



ROS, Reactive Oxygen Species: Click to Expand ⟱
Source: HalifaxProj (inhibit)
Type:
Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are highly reactive molecules that contain oxygen and can lead to oxidative stress in cells. They play a dual role in cancer biology, acting as both promoters and suppressors of cancer.
ROS can cause oxidative damage to DNA, leading to mutations that may contribute to cancer initiation and progression. So normally you want to inhibit ROS to prevent cell mutations.
However excessive ROS can induce apoptosis (programmed cell death) in cancer cells, potentially limiting tumor growth. Chemotherapy typically raises ROS.
-mitochondria is the main source of reactive oxygen species (ROS) (and the ETC is heavily related)
ROS Homeostasis in Cancer Cells and Its Potential as a Therapeutic Target

"Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are two electron reduction products of oxygen, including superoxide anion, hydrogen peroxide, hydroxyl radical, lipid peroxides, protein peroxides and peroxides formed in nucleic acids 1. They are maintained in a dynamic balance by a series of reduction-oxidation (redox) reactions in biological systems and act as signaling molecules to drive cellular regulatory pathways."
"During different stages of cancer formation, abnormal ROS levels play paradoxical roles in cell growth and death 8. A physiological concentration of ROS that maintained in equilibrium is necessary for normal cell survival. Ectopic ROS accumulation promotes cell proliferation and consequently induces malignant transformation of normal cells by initiating pathological conversion of physiological signaling networks. Excessive ROS levels lead to cell death by damaging cellular components, including proteins, lipid bilayers, and chromosomes. Therefore, both scavenging abnormally elevated ROS to prevent early neoplasia and facilitating ROS production to specifically kill cancer cells are promising anticancer therapeutic strategies, in spite of their contradictoriness and complexity."
"ROS are the collection of derivatives of molecular oxygen that occur in biology, which can be categorized into two types, free radicals and non-radical species. The non-radical species are hydrogen peroxide (H 2O 2 ), organic hydroperoxides (ROOH), singlet molecular oxygen ( 1 O 2 ), electronically excited carbonyl, ozone (O3 ), hypochlorous acid (HOCl, and hypobromous acid HOBr). Free radical species are super-oxide anion radical (O 2•−), hydroxyl radical (•OH), peroxyl radical (ROO•) and alkoxyl radical (RO•) [130]. Any imbalance of ROS can lead to adverse effects. H2 O 2 and O 2 •− are the main redox signalling agents. The cellular concentration of H2 O 2 is about 10−8 M, which is almost a thousand times more than that of O2 •−".
"Radicals are molecules with an odd number of electrons in the outer shell [393,394]. A pair of radicals can be formed by breaking a chemical bond or electron transfer between two molecules."

Recent investigations have documented that polyphenols with good antioxidant activity may exhibit pro-oxidant activity in the presence of copper ions, which can induce apoptosis in various cancer cell lines but not in normal cells. "We have shown that such cell growth inhibition by polyphenols in cancer cells is reversed by copper-specific sequestering agent neocuproine to a significant extent whereas iron and zinc chelators are relatively ineffective, thus confirming the role of endogenous copper in the cytotoxic action of polyphenols against cancer cells. Therefore, this mechanism of mobilization of endogenous copper." > Ions could be one of the important mechanisms for the cytotoxic action of plant polyphenols against cancer cells and is possibly a common mechanism for all plant polyphenols. In fact, similar results obtained with four different polyphenolic compounds in this study, namely apigenin, luteolin, EGCG, and resveratrol, strengthen this idea.
Interestingly, the normal breast epithelial MCF10A cells have earlier been shown to possess no detectable copper as opposed to breast cancer cells [24], which may explain their resistance to polyphenols apigenin- and luteolin-induced growth inhibition as observed here (Fig. 1). We have earlier proposed [25] that this preferential cytotoxicity of plant polyphenols toward cancer cells is explained by the observation made several years earlier, which showed that copper levels in cancer cells are significantly elevated in various malignancies. Thus, because of higher intracellular copper levels in cancer cells, it may be predicted that the cytotoxic concentrations of polyphenols required would be lower in these cells as compared to normal cells."

Majority of ROS are produced as a by-product of oxidative phosphorylation, high levels of ROS are detected in almost all cancers.
-It is well established that during ER stress, cytosolic calcium released from the ER is taken up by the mitochondrion to stimulate ROS overgeneration and the release of cytochrome c, both of which lead to apoptosis.

Note: Products that may raise ROS can be found using this database, by:
Filtering on the target of ROS, and selecting the Effect Direction of ↑

Targets to raise ROS (to kill cancer cells):
• NADPH oxidases (NOX): NOX enzymes are involved in the production of ROS.
    -Targeting NOX enzymes can increase ROS levels and induce cancer cell death.
    -eNOX2 inhibition leads to a high NADH/NAD⁺ ratio which can lead to increased ROS
• Mitochondrial complex I: Inhibiting can increase ROS production
• P53: Activating p53 can increase ROS levels(by inducing the expression of pro-oxidant genes)
Nrf2 inhibition: regulates the expression of antioxidant genes. Inhibiting Nrf2 can increase ROS levels
• Glutathione (GSH): an antioxidant. Depleting GSH can increase ROS levels
• Catalase: Catalase converts H2O2 into H2O+O. Inhibiting catalase can increase ROS levels
• SOD1: converts superoxide into hydrogen peroxide. Inhibiting SOD1 can increase ROS levels
• PI3K/AKT pathway: regulates cell survival and metabolism. Inhibiting can increase ROS levels
HIF-1α inhibition: regulates genes involved in metabolism and angiogenesis. Inhibiting HIF-1α can increase ROS
• Glycolysis: Inhibiting glycolysis can increase ROS levels • Fatty acid oxidation: Cancer cells often rely on fatty acid oxidation for energy production.
-Inhibiting fatty acid oxidation can increase ROS levels
• ER stress: Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress can increase ROS levels
• Autophagy: process by which cells recycle damaged organelles and proteins.
-Inhibiting autophagy can increase ROS levels and induce cancer cell death.
• KEAP1/Nrf2 pathway: regulates the expression of antioxidant genes.
    -Inhibiting KEAP1 or activating Nrf2 can increase ROS levels and induce cancer cell death.
• DJ-1: regulates the expression of antioxidant genes. Inhibiting DJ-1 can increase ROS levels
• PARK2: regulates the expression of antioxidant genes. Inhibiting PARK2 can increase ROS levels
SIRT1 inhibition:regulates the expression of antioxidant genes. Inhibiting SIRT1 can increase ROS levels
AMPK activation: regulates energy metabolism and can increase ROS levels when activated.
mTOR inhibition: regulates cell growth and metabolism. Inhibiting mTOR can increase ROS levels
HSP90 inhibition: regulates protein folding and can increase ROS levels when inhibited.
• Proteasome: degrades damaged proteins. Inhibiting the proteasome can increase ROS levels
Lipid peroxidation: a process by which lipids are oxidized, leading to the production of ROS.
    -Increasing lipid peroxidation can increase ROS levels
• Ferroptosis: form of cell death that is regulated by iron and lipid peroxidation.
    -Increasing ferroptosis can increase ROS levels
• Mitochondrial permeability transition pore (mPTP): regulates mitochondrial permeability.
    -Opening the mPTP can increase ROS levels
• BCL-2 family proteins: regulate apoptosis and can increase ROS levels when inhibited.
• Caspase-independent cell death: a form of cell death that is regulated by ROS.
    -Increasing caspase-independent cell death can increase ROS levels
• DNA damage response: regulates the repair of DNA damage. Increasing DNA damage can increase ROS
• Epigenetic regulation: process by which gene expression is regulated.
    -Increasing epigenetic regulation can increase ROS levels

-PKM2, but not PKM1, can be inhibited by direct oxidation of cysteine 358 as an adaptive response to increased intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS)

ProOxidant Strategy:(inhibit the Mevalonate Pathway (likely will also inhibit GPx)
-HydroxyCitrate (HCA) found as supplement online and typically used in a dose of about 1.5g/day or more
-Atorvastatin typically 40-80mg/day, -Dipyridamole typically 200mg 2x/day Combined effect research
-Lycopene typically 100mg/day range (note debatable as it mainly lowers NRF2)

Dual Role of Reactive Oxygen Species and their Application in Cancer Therapy
ROS-Inducing Interventions in Cancer — Canonical + Mechanistic Reference
-generated from AI and Cancer database
ROS rating:  +++ strong | ++ moderate | + weak | ± mixed | 0 none
NRF2:        ↓ suppressed | ↑ activated | ± mixed | 0 none
Conditions:  [D] dose  [Fe] metal  [M] metabolic  [O₂] oxygen
             [L] light [F] formulation [T] tumor-type [C] combination

Item ROS NRF2 Condition Mechanism Class Remarks
ROS">Piperlongumine +++ [D][T] ROS-dominant
ROS">Shikonin +++↓/±[D][T]ROS-dominant
ROS">Vitamin K3 (menadione) +++[D]ROS-dominant
ROS">Copper (ionic / nano) +++[Fe][F]ROS-dominant
ROS">Sodium Selenite +++[D]ROS-dominant
ROS">Juglone +++[D]ROS-dominant
ROS">Auranofin +++[D]ROS-dominant
ROS">Photodynamic Therapy (PDT) +++0[L][O₂]ROS-dominant
ROS">Radiotherapy / Radiation +++0[O₂]ROS-dominant
ROS">Doxorubicin +++[D]ROS-dominant
ROS">Cisplatin ++[D][T]ROS-dominant
ROS">Salinomycin ++[D][T]ROS-dominant
ROS">Artemisinin / DHA ++[Fe][T]ROS-dominant
ROS">Sulfasalazine ++[C][T]ROS-dominant
ROS">FMD / fasting ++[M][C][O₂]ROS-dominant
ROS">Vitamin C (pharmacologic) ++[Fe][D]ROS-dominant
ROS">Silver nanoparticles ++±[F][D]ROS-dominant
ROS">Gambogic acid ++[D][T]ROS-dominant
ROS">Parthenolide ++[D][T]ROS-dominant
ROS">Plumbagin ++[D]ROS-dominant
ROS">Allicin ++[D]ROS-dominant
ROS">Ashwagandha (Withaferin A) ++[D][T]ROS-dominant
ROS">Berberine ++[D][M]ROS-dominant
ROS">PEITC ++[D][C]ROS-dominant
ROS">Methionine restriction +[M][C][T]ROS-secondary
ROS">DCA +±[M][T]ROS-secondary
ROS">Capsaicin +±[D][T]ROS-secondary
ROS">Galloflavin +0[D]ROS-secondary
ROS">Piperine +±[D][F]ROS-secondary
ROS">Propyl gallate +[D]ROS-secondary
ROS">Scoulerine +?[D][T]ROS-secondary
ROS">Thymoquinone ±±[D][T]Dual redox
ROS">Emodin ±±[D][T]Dual redox
ROS">Alpha-lipoic acid (ALA) ±[D][M]NRF2-dominant
ROS">Curcumin ±↑/↓[D][F]NRF2-dominant
ROS">EGCG ±↑/↓[D][O₂]NRF2-dominant
ROS">Quercetin ±↑/↓[D][Fe]NRF2-dominant
ROS">Resveratrol ±[D][M]NRF2-dominant
ROS">Sulforaphane ±↑↑[D]NRF2-dominant
ROS">Lycopene 0Antioxidant
ROS">Rosmarinic acid 0Antioxidant
ROS">Citrate 00Neutral


Scientific Papers found: Click to Expand⟱
6715- dietF,    Are Fermented Foods Effective against Inflammatory Diseases?
- Review, Nor, NA
*Imm↑, *GastroP↑, *Inflam↓, AntiCan↑, *AntiBio↑, *hepatoP↑, *CD4+↑, *IFN-γ↓, *IL17↓, *GutMicro↑, *antiOx↑, *AST↓, *ALAT↓, *HDL↑, *LDL↓, *ROS↓, *lipid-P↓, *Inflam↓, *Aβ↓,

Showing Research Papers: 1 to 1 of 1

* indicates research on normal cells as opposed to diseased cells
Total Research Paper Matches: 1

Pathway results for Effect on Cancer / Diseased Cells:


Functional Outcomes(tgid=23)

AntiCan↑, 1,  
Total Targets: 1

Pathway results for Effect on Normal Cells:


NA, unassigned(tgid=0)

AntiBio↑, 1,  

Redox & Oxidative Stress(tgid=1)

antiOx↑, 1,   HDL↑, 1,   lipid-P↓, 1,   ROS↓, 1,  

Core Metabolism/Glycolysis(tgid=4)

ALAT↓, 1,   LDL↓, 1,  

Barriers & Transport(tgid=15)

GastroP↑, 1,  

Immune & Inflammatory Signaling(tgid=16)

CD4+↑, 1,   IFN-γ↓, 1,   IL17↓, 1,   Imm↑, 1,   Inflam↓, 2,  

Protein Aggregation(tgid=19)

Aβ↓, 1,  

Clinical Biomarkers(tgid=22)

ALAT↓, 1,   AST↓, 1,   GutMicro↑, 1,  

Functional Outcomes(tgid=23)

hepatoP↑, 1,  
Total Targets: 18

Scientific Paper Hit Count for: ROS, Reactive Oxygen Species
Query results interpretion may depend on "conditions" listed in the research papers.
Such Conditions may include : 
  -low or high Dose
  -format for product, such as nano of lipid formations
  -different cell line effects
  -synergies with other products 
  -if effect was for normal or cancerous cells
Filter Conditions: Pro/AntiFlg:%  IllCat:%  CanType:%  Cells:%  prod#:309  Target#:275  State#:%  Dir#:1
wNotes=0 sortOrder:rid,rpid

 

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