Foods for Systemic Mastocytosis!

Introduction

Foods for Systemic Mastocytosis should be personalized for each individual and also must adapt when cancer treatment or tumor genetic change. The personalization and adaptation must consider all the active ingredients or bioactives contained in different foods with respect to cancer tissue biology, genetics, treatments, lifestyle conditions and diet preferences. Hence while nutrition is one of the very important decisions for a cancer patient and individual at risk of cancer to make – how to choose foods to eat is not an easy task.

For Systemic Mastocytosis does it matter what vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds one eats?

A very common nutrition question asked by cancer patients and individuals at-genetic risk of cancer is – for cancers like Systemic Mastocytosis does it matter what foods I eat and which I do not? Or if I follow a plant-based diet is that enough for cancer like Systemic Mastocytosis?

For example does it matter if vegetable Brussel Sprouts is consumed more compared to Turnip? Does it make any difference if fruit Fig is preferred over Rabbiteye Blueberry? Also if similar choices are made for nuts/seeds like Black Walnut over Chestnut and for pulses like Chickpea over Catjang Pea. And if what I eat matters – then how does one identify foods which are recommended for Systemic Mastocytosis and is it the same answer for everyone with the same diagnosis or genetic risk?

Yes! Foods you eat matters for Systemic Mastocytosis!

Food recommendations may not be the same for everyone and can be different even for the same diagnosis and genetic risk.

All foods (vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, pulses, oils etc.) and nutritional supplements are made up of more than one active molecular ingredient or bio-actives in different proportions and quantities. Each active ingredient has a unique mechanism of action – which can be activation or inhibition of different biochemical pathways. Simply stated foods and supplements which are recommended are those which do not cause an increase of molecular drivers of cancer but reduce them. Else those foods should not be recommended. Foods contain multiple active ingredients – hence when evaluating foods and supplements you need to consider the impact of all active ingredients cumulatively rather than individually.

For example Fig contains active ingredients Isoliquiritigenin, Quercetin, Kaempferol, Taxifolin, Curcumin. And Rabbiteye Blueberry contains active ingredients Quercetin, Linalool, Geraniol, Gallic Acid, Ferulic Acid and possibly others.

A common mistake made when deciding and choosing foods to eat for Systemic Mastocytosis – is to evaluate only selected active ingredients contained in foods and ignore the rest. Because different active ingredients contained in foods may have opposing effects on cancer drivers – you cannot cherry pick active ingredients in foods and supplements for making a nutrition decision for Systemic Mastocytosis.

YES – FOOD CHOICES MATTER FOR CANCER. NUTRITION DECISIONS MUST CONSIDER ALL ACTIVE INGREDIENTS OF FOODS.

Skills Needed for Nutrition Personalization for Systemic Mastocytosis?

Personalized nutrition for cancers like Systemic Mastocytosis consists of recommended foods / supplements; not recommended foods / supplements with example recipes which prioritize use of recommended foods. An example of personalized nutrition can be seen at this link.

Deciding which foods are recommended or not is extremely complicated, requiring expertise in Systemic Mastocytosis biology, food science, genetics, biochemistry along with good understanding of how cancer treatments work and associated vulnerabilities by which the treatments could stop being effective.

MINIMUM KNOWLEDGE EXPERTISE NEEDED FOR NUTRITION PERSONALIZATION FOR CANCER ARE: CANCER BIOLOGY, FOOD SCIENCE, CANCER TREATMENTS AND GENETICS.

Characteristics of cancers like Systemic Mastocytosis

All cancers like Systemic Mastocytosis can be characterized by a unique set of biochemical pathways – the signature pathways of Systemic Mastocytosis. Biochemical pathways like JAK-STAT Signaling, MAPK Signaling, PI3K-AKT-MTOR Signaling, RAS-RAF Signaling are part of the signature definition of Systemic Mastocytosis. Each individual’s cancer genetics can be different and hence their specific cancer signature could be unique.

The treatments which are effective for Systemic Mastocytosis need to be cognizant of the associated signature biochemical pathways for each cancer patient and individual at genetic risk. Therefore different treatments with different mechanisms of actions are effective for different patients. Similarly and for the same reasons foods and supplements need to be personalized for each individual. Hence some foods and supplements are recommended for Systemic Mastocytosis when taking cancer treatment Midostaurin, and some foods and supplements are not recommended.

Sources like cBioPortal and many others provide population representative patient anonymized data from clinical trials for all cancer indications. This data consists of clinical trial study details like sample size / number of patients, age groups, gender, ethnicity, treatments, tumor site and any genetic mutations.

CNOT3, DNMT3A, FLT3, NPM1 and KIT are the top ranked reported genes for Systemic Mastocytosis. CNOT3 is reported in 50.0 % of the representative patients across all clinical trials. And DNMT3A is reported in 50.0 %. The combined population patient data cover ages from to . 100.0 % of the patient data are identified as men. The Systemic Mastocytosis biology along with reported genetics together define the population represented signature biochemical pathways for this cancer. If the individual cancer tumor genetics or genes contributing to the risk are also known then that should also be used for nutrition personalization.

NUTRITION CHOICES SHOULD MATCH WITH EACH INDIVIDUAL’S CANCER SIGNATURE.

Food and Supplements for Systemic Mastocytosis

For Cancer Patients

Cancer patients on treatment or on palliative care need to make decisions on food and supplements – for the needed dietary calories, for managing any treatment side effects and also for improved cancer management. All plant-based foods are not equal and choosing and prioritizing foods which are personalized and customized to ongoing cancer treatment is important and complicated. Here are some examples providing guidelines for making nutrition decisions.

Choose Vegetable BRUSSEL SPROUTS or TURNIP?

Vegetable Brussel Sprouts contains many active ingredients or bioactives such as Isoliquiritigenin, Taxifolin, Sulforaphane, Curcumin, Lupeol. These active ingredients manipulate various biochemical pathways like PI3K-AKT-MTOR Signaling, MAPK Signaling, Oncogenic Cancer Epigenetics and MYC Signaling and others. Brussel Sprouts is recommended for Systemic Mastocytosis when ongoing cancer treatment is Midostaurin. This is because Brussel Sprouts modifies those biochemical pathways which have been scientifically reported to sensitize the effect of Midostaurin.

Some of the active ingredients or bioactives in vegetable Turnip are Isoliquiritigenin, Quercetin, Kaempferol, Taxifolin, Ellagic Acid. These active ingredients manipulate various biochemical pathways like MYC Signaling, MAPK Signaling and PI3K-AKT-MTOR Signaling and others. Turnip is not recommended for Systemic Mastocytosis when ongoing cancer treatment is Midostaurin because it modifies those biochemical pathways which make the cancer treatment resistant or less responsive.

VEGETABLE BRUSSEL SPROUTS IS RECOMMENDED OVER TURNIP FOR Systemic Mastocytosis AND TREATMENT Midostaurin.

Choose Fruit RABBITEYE BLUEBERRY or FIG?

Fruit Rabbiteye Blueberry contains many active ingredients or bioactives such as Quercetin, Linalool, Geraniol, Gallic Acid, Ferulic Acid. These active ingredients manipulate various biochemical pathways like MAPK Signaling and PI3K-AKT-MTOR Signaling and others. Rabbiteye Blueberry is recommended for Systemic Mastocytosis when ongoing cancer treatment is Midostaurin. This is because Rabbiteye Blueberry modifies those biochemical pathways which have been scientifically reported to sensitize the effect of Midostaurin.

Some of the active ingredients or bioactives in fruit Fig are Isoliquiritigenin, Quercetin, Kaempferol, Taxifolin, Curcumin. These active ingredients manipulate various biochemical pathways like MAPK Signaling and PI3K-AKT-MTOR Signaling and others. Fig is not recommended for Systemic Mastocytosis when ongoing cancer treatment is Midostaurin because it modifies those biochemical pathways which make the cancer treatment resistant or less responsive.

FRUIT RABBITEYE BLUEBERRY IS RECOMMENDED OVER FIG FOR Systemic Mastocytosis AND TREATMENT Midostaurin.

Choose Nut BLACK WALNUT or CHESTNUT?

Black Walnut contains many active ingredients or bioactives such as Apigenin, Isoliquiritigenin, Myricetin, Quercetin, Kaempferol. These active ingredients manipulate various biochemical pathways like RAS-RAF Signaling, PI3K-AKT-MTOR Signaling and MYC Signaling and others. Black Walnut is recommended for Systemic Mastocytosis when ongoing cancer treatment is Midostaurin. This is because Black Walnut modifies those biochemical pathways which have been scientifically reported to sensitize the effect of Midostaurin.

Some of the active ingredients or bioactives in Chestnut are Apigenin, Isoliquiritigenin, Myricetin, Kaempferol, Luteolin. These active ingredients manipulate various biochemical pathways like PI3K-AKT-MTOR Signaling, Oncogenic Cancer Epigenetics and MYC Signaling and others. Chestnut is not recommended for Systemic Mastocytosis when ongoing cancer treatment is Midostaurin because it modifies those biochemical pathways which make the cancer treatment resistant or less responsive.

BLACK WALNUT IS RECOMMENDED OVER CHESTNUT FOR Systemic Mastocytosis AND TREATMENT Midostaurin.

For Individuals with Genetic Risk of Cancer

The question asked by individuals who have genetic risk of Systemic Mastocytosis or familial history is “What Should I Eat Differently from Before?” and how they should choose foods and supplements to manage risks of the disease. Since for cancer risk there is nothing actionable in terms of treatment – decisions of foods and supplements become important and one of the very few actionable things which can be done. All plant-based foods are not equal and based on identified genetics and pathway signature – the choices of food and supplements should be personalized.

Choose Vegetable CAULIFLOWER or ARROWHEAD?

Vegetable Cauliflower contains many active ingredients or bioactives such as Isoliquiritigenin, Curcumin, Catechol, Vitamin C, Lupeol. These active ingredients manipulate various biochemical pathways like PI3K-AKT-MTOR Signaling, RAS-RAF Signaling, MAPK Signaling and MYC Signaling and others. Cauliflower is recommended for risk of Systemic Mastocytosis when associated genetic risk is CNOT3. This is because Cauliflower increases those biochemical pathways which counteract the signature drivers of it.

Some of the active ingredients or bioactives in vegetable Arrowhead are Apigenin, Myricetin, Isoliquiritigenin, Kaempferol, Luteolin. These active ingredients manipulate various biochemical pathways like Stem Cell Signaling and Oncogenic Cancer Epigenetics and others. Arrowhead is not recommended when risk of Systemic Mastocytosis when associated genetic risk is CNOT3 because it increases the signature pathways of it.

VEGETABLE CAULIFLOWER IS RECOMMENDED OVER ARROWHEAD FOR CNOT3 GENETIC RISK OF CANCER.

Choose Fruit LEMON or PUMMELO?

Fruit Lemon contains many active ingredients or bioactives such as Isoliquiritigenin, D-limonene, Luteolin, Linalool, Curcumin. These active ingredients manipulate various biochemical pathways like Suppressive Histone Methylation, RAS-RAF Signaling, PI3K-AKT-MTOR Signaling and MYC Signaling and others. Lemon is recommended for risk of Systemic Mastocytosis when associated genetic risk is CNOT3. This is because Lemon increases those biochemical pathways which counteract the signature drivers of it.

Some of the active ingredients or bioactives in fruit Pummelo are Apigenin, Quercetin, Isoliquiritigenin, Curcumin, Lycopene. These active ingredients manipulate various biochemical pathways like PI3K-AKT-MTOR Signaling and MYC Signaling and others. Pummelo is not recommended when risk of Systemic Mastocytosis when associated genetic risk is CNOT3 because it increases the signature pathways of it.

FRUIT LEMON IS RECOMMENDED OVER PUMMELO FOR CNOT3 GENETIC RISK OF CANCER.

Choose Nut BUTTERNUT or EUROPEAN CHESTNUT?

Butternut contains many active ingredients or bioactives such as Apigenin, Myricetin, Isoliquiritigenin, Kaempferol, Luteolin. These active ingredients manipulate various biochemical pathways like JAK-STAT Signaling, RAS-RAF Signaling, MAPK Signaling and MYC Signaling and others. Butternut is recommended for risk of Systemic Mastocytosis when associated genetic risk is CNOT3. This is because Butternut increases those biochemical pathways which counteract the signature drivers of it.

Some of the active ingredients or bioactives in European Chestnut are Apigenin, Quercetin, Myricetin, Isoliquiritigenin, Kaempferol. These active ingredients manipulate various biochemical pathways like Stem Cell Signaling and Oncogenic Cancer Epigenetics and others. European Chestnut is not recommended when risk of Systemic Mastocytosis when associated genetic risk is CNOT3 because it increases the signature pathways of it.

BUTTERNUT IS RECOMMENDED OVER EUROPEAN CHESTNUT FOR CNOT3 GENETIC RISK OF CANCER.

In Conclusion

Foods and Supplements chosen are important decisions for cancers like Systemic Mastocytosis. Systemic Mastocytosis patients and individuals with genetic-risk always have this question: “What foods and nutritional supplements are recommended for me and which are not?” There is a common belief which is a misconception that all plant-based foods could be beneficial or not but would not be harmful. Certain foods and supplements can interfere with cancer treatments or promote molecular pathway drivers of cancer.

There are different types of cancer indications like Systemic Mastocytosis, each with different tumor genetics with further genomic variations across each individual. Further every cancer treatment and chemotherapy has a unique mechanism of action. Each food like Brussel Sprouts contains various bioactives in different quantities, which have an impact on different and distinct sets of biochemical pathways. The definition of personalized nutrition is individualized food recommendations for the cancer indication, treatments, genetics, lifestyle and other factors. Nutrition personalization decisions for cancer require knowledge of cancer biology, food science and an understanding of different chemotherapy treatments. Finally when there are treatment changes or new genomics is identified – the nutrition personalization needs re-evaluation.

The addon nutrition personalization solution makes the decision making easy and removes all the guesswork in answering the question, “What foods should I choose or not choose for Systemic Mastocytosis?”. The addon multi-disciplinary team includes cancer physicians, clinical scientists, software engineers and data scientists.

References

• Aml Ohsu 2018
• Effects of isoliquiritigenin on ovarian cancer cells.
• Gallic acid indanone and mangiferin xanthone are strong determinants of immunosuppressive anti-tumour effects of Mangifera indica L. bark in MDA-MB231 breast cancer cells.
• Sulforaphane causes epigenetic repression of hTERT expression in human breast cancer cell lines.
• Growth stimulation of human pulmonary adenocarcinoma cells and small airway epithelial cells by beta-carotene via activation of cAMP, PKA, CREB and ERK1/2.
• Geraniol, a component of plant essential oils, sensitizes human colonic cancer cells to 5-Fluorouracil treatment.
• Functional lipidomics: Palmitic acid impairs hepatocellular carcinoma development by modulating membrane fluidity and glucose metabolism.
• D-Limonene modulates inflammation, oxidative stress and Ras-ERK pathway to inhibit murine skin tumorigenesis.
• Preventive effects of butyric acid, nicotinamide, calcium glucarate alone or in combination during the 7, 12-dimethylbenz (a) anthracene induced mouse skin tumorigenesis via modulation of K-Ras-PI3K-AKTpathway and associated micro RNAs.