Foods for High-grade Glioma!

Introduction

Foods for High-grade Glioma 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 High-grade Glioma 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 High-grade Glioma 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 High-grade Glioma?

For example does it matter if vegetable Calabash is consumed more compared to Swede? Does it make any difference if fruit Black Elderberry is preferred over Nance? Also if similar choices are made for nuts/seeds like Common Hazelnut over Brazil Nut and for pulses like Alfalfa over Lentils. And if what I eat matters – then how does one identify foods which are recommended for High-grade Glioma and is it the same answer for everyone with the same diagnosis or genetic risk?

Yes! Foods you eat matters for High-grade Glioma!

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 Black Elderberry contains active ingredients Quercetin, Curcumin, Apigenin, Linalool, Lupeol. And Nance contains active ingredients Curcumin, Apigenin, Lupeol, Daidzein, Caffeine and possibly others.

A common mistake made when deciding and choosing foods to eat for High-grade Glioma – 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 High-grade Glioma.

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

Skills Needed for Nutrition Personalization for High-grade Glioma?

Personalized nutrition for cancers like High-grade Glioma 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 High-grade Glioma 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 High-grade Glioma

All cancers like High-grade Glioma can be characterized by a unique set of biochemical pathways – the signature pathways of High-grade Glioma. Biochemical pathways like RAS-RAF Signaling, Cell Cycle, PI3K-AKT-MTOR Signaling, Cell Cycle Checkpoints are part of the signature definition of High-grade Glioma. Each individual’s cancer genetics can be different and hence their specific cancer signature could be unique.

The treatments which are effective for High-grade Glioma 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 High-grade Glioma when taking cancer treatment Radiation, 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.

TP53, PIK3CA, IDH1, PTPN11 and PTEN are the top ranked reported genes for High-grade Glioma. TP53 is reported in 28.0 % of the representative patients across all clinical trials. And PIK3CA is reported in 12.0 %. The combined population patient data cover ages from 1 to 30. 49.1 % of the patient data are identified as men. The High-grade Glioma 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 High-grade Glioma

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 CALABASH or SWEDE

Vegetable Calabash contains many active ingredients or bioactives such as Curcumin, Apigenin, Lupeol, Daidzein, Lycopene. These active ingredients manipulate various biochemical pathways like MAPK Signaling, Hedgehog Signaling, TGFB Signaling and PI3K-AKT-MTOR Signaling and others. Calabash is recommended for High-grade Glioma when ongoing cancer treatment is Radiation. This is because Calabash modifies those biochemical pathways which have been scientifically reported to sensitize the effect of Radiation.

Some of the active ingredients or bioactives in vegetable Swede are Curcumin, Apigenin, Lupeol, Daidzein, Protocatechuic Acid. These active ingredients manipulate various biochemical pathways like Cytoskeletal Dynamics, TGFB Signaling and Oxidative Stress and others. Swede is not recommended for High-grade Glioma when ongoing cancer treatment is Radiation because it modifies those biochemical pathways which make the cancer treatment resistant or less responsive.

VEGETABLE CALABASH IS RECOMMENDED OVER SWEDE FOR High-grade Glioma AND TREATMENT Radiation.

Choose Fruit NANCE or BLACK ELDERBERRY

Fruit Nance contains many active ingredients or bioactives such as Curcumin, Apigenin, Lupeol, Daidzein, Caffeine. These active ingredients manipulate various biochemical pathways like MAPK Signaling, RAS-RAF Signaling, TGFB Signaling and Oxidative Stress and others. Nance is recommended for High-grade Glioma when ongoing cancer treatment is Radiation. This is because Nance modifies those biochemical pathways which have been scientifically reported to sensitize the effect of Radiation.

Some of the active ingredients or bioactives in fruit Black Elderberry are Quercetin, Curcumin, Apigenin, Linalool, Lupeol. These active ingredients manipulate various biochemical pathways like TGFB Signaling and Oxidative Stress and others. Black Elderberry is not recommended for High-grade Glioma when ongoing cancer treatment is Radiation because it modifies those biochemical pathways which make the cancer treatment resistant or less responsive.

FRUIT NANCE IS RECOMMENDED OVER BLACK ELDERBERRY FOR High-grade Glioma AND TREATMENT Radiation.

Choose Nut COMMON HAZELNUT or BRAZIL NUT

Common Hazelnut contains many active ingredients or bioactives such as Quercetin, Curcumin, Lupeol, Daidzein, Caffeine. These active ingredients manipulate various biochemical pathways like MAPK Signaling, Hedgehog Signaling, TGFB Signaling and PI3K-AKT-MTOR Signaling and others. Common Hazelnut is recommended for High-grade Glioma when ongoing cancer treatment is Radiation. This is because Common Hazelnut modifies those biochemical pathways which have been scientifically reported to sensitize the effect of Radiation.

Some of the active ingredients or bioactives in Brazil Nut are Ellagic Acid, Curcumin, Lupeol, Daidzein, Protocatechuic Acid. These active ingredients manipulate various biochemical pathways like MAPK Signaling and Cytoskeletal Dynamics and others. Brazil Nut is not recommended for High-grade Glioma when ongoing cancer treatment is Radiation because it modifies those biochemical pathways which make the cancer treatment resistant or less responsive.

COMMON HAZELNUT IS RECOMMENDED OVER BRAZIL NUT FOR High-grade Glioma AND TREATMENT Radiation.

For Individuals with Genetic Risk of Cancer

The question asked by individuals who have genetic risk of High-grade Glioma 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 MALABAR SPINACH

Vegetable Cauliflower contains many active ingredients or bioactives such as Curcumin, Catechol, Lupeol, Isoliquiritigenin, Beta-sitosterol. These active ingredients manipulate various biochemical pathways like MAPK Signaling, MYC Signaling, Inositol Phosphate Signaling and PI3K-AKT-MTOR Signaling and others. Cauliflower is recommended for risk of High-grade Glioma when associated genetic risk is IDH1. This is because Cauliflower increases those biochemical pathways which counteract the signature drivers of it.

Some of the active ingredients or bioactives in vegetable Malabar Spinach are Quercetin, Curcumin, Apigenin, Catechol, Myricetin. These active ingredients manipulate various biochemical pathways like Insulin Signaling and Oncogenic Cancer Epigenetics and others. Malabar Spinach is not recommended when risk of High-grade Glioma when associated genetic risk is IDH1 because it increases the signature pathways of it.

VEGETABLE CAULIFLOWER IS RECOMMENDED OVER MALABAR SPINACH FOR IDH1 GENETIC RISK OF CANCER.

Choose Fruit RED RASPBERRY or PUMMELO

Fruit Red Raspberry contains many active ingredients or bioactives such as Quercetin, Curcumin, Ellagic Acid, Catechol, Lupeol. These active ingredients manipulate various biochemical pathways like MAPK Signaling, Cell Cycle Checkpoints, RAS-RAF Signaling and Oncogenic Cancer Epigenetics and others. Red Raspberry is recommended for risk of High-grade Glioma when associated genetic risk is IDH1. This is because Red Raspberry increases those biochemical pathways which counteract the signature drivers of it.

Some of the active ingredients or bioactives in fruit Pummelo are Quercetin, Curcumin, Apigenin, Catechol, Lupeol. These active ingredients manipulate various biochemical pathways like Cell Cycle Checkpoints and Insulin Signaling and others. Pummelo is not recommended when risk of High-grade Glioma when associated genetic risk is IDH1 because it increases the signature pathways of it.

FRUIT RED RASPBERRY IS RECOMMENDED OVER PUMMELO FOR IDH1 GENETIC RISK OF CANCER.

Choose Nut BUTTERNUT or EUROPEAN CHESTNUT

Butternut contains many active ingredients or bioactives such as Curcumin, Apigenin, Catechol, Myricetin, Lupeol. These active ingredients manipulate various biochemical pathways like MAPK Signaling, Insulin Signaling and Oncogenic Cancer Epigenetics and others. Butternut is recommended for risk of High-grade Glioma when associated genetic risk is IDH1. 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 Quercetin, Curcumin, Apigenin, Ellagic Acid, Catechol. These active ingredients manipulate various biochemical pathways like Insulin Signaling and Oncogenic Cancer Epigenetics and others. European Chestnut is not recommended when risk of High-grade Glioma when associated genetic risk is IDH1 because it increases the signature pathways of it.

BUTTERNUT IS RECOMMENDED OVER EUROPEAN CHESTNUT FOR IDH1 GENETIC RISK OF CANCER.

In Conclusion

Foods and Supplements chosen are important decisions for cancers like High-grade Glioma. High-grade Glioma 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 High-grade Glioma, 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 Calabash 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 High-grade Glioma?”. The addon multi-disciplinary team includes cancer physicians, clinical scientists, software engineers and data scientists.

References

• Pediatric Dkfz 2017
• The landscape of genomic alterations across childhood cancers.
• 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.
• Research progress on the anticancer effects of vitamin K2.
• Daidzein suppresses tumor necrosis factor-α induced migration and invasion by inhibiting hedgehog/Gli1 signaling in human breast cancer cells.
• Brassinin inhibits STAT3 signaling pathway through modulation of PIAS-3 and SOCS-3 expression and sensitizes human lung cancer xenograft in nude mice to paclitaxel.