For Which Cancer Types Should I Avoid Resveratrol Supplement?

Highlights

Nutritional supplements and extracts like Resveratrol have benefits and are used by cancer patients and those at-genetic risk of cancer. There is limited or hardly any clinical data available for use of nutritional supplements and foods in cancer patients. Generating clinical evidence of efficacy for cancer through a randomized clinical trial is further infeasible due to variations in genetics and cancer chemotherapy treatments across cancer patients. Hence a different and new approach is needed to find out for which cancers you should not take Resveratrol supplement and why should not take them?

Is it okay to take Resveratrol extracts or supplements for all cancer indications and any chemotherapy treatment? A common belief but a myth is that everything natural can only be of benefit and do no harm. For example, the use of grapefruit with certain medications is not recommended. Another example is the use of spinach with some blood thinning medications can cause adverse interactions and hence to be avoided. For cancer, nutrition including plant-based foods and supplements can influence outcomes and hence an extremely important decision which needs to be made. Hence NIH-National Cancer Institute has a website for nutrition for cancer care for patients which are generalized recommendations and not personalized for cancer indication and treatments.

A frequently asked question by cancer patients and those at-risk is “What Foods and Nutritional Supplements could be beneficial over others for me?”. “Who should not take an extract or supplement and why?”. Generic guidelines like eating only plant-based-foods or avoiding all sugar or adopting a keto diet is a good start but not actionable and personalized enough.

To find answers to questions on extracts and nutritional supplements and foods requires knowledge of contained active ingredients; genetic mutation prevalence for cancer indication; understanding of underlying cancer biology; chemotherapy treatments and mechanism of actions of active ingredients.

Taking Resveratrol extracts or nutritional supplements may benefit Primary Basal Cell Carcinoma patients on Vismodegib treatment over Flaxseed nutritional supplements. But Resveratrol supplements or Resveratrol extracts offer less benefit if on Radiation treatment for Primary Urethral Squamous Cell Carcinoma compared to Rutaecarpine. Similarly, taking nutritional supplements Resveratrol may benefit healthy individuals who are at genetic risk of cancer due to mutation of gene PIK3CA over Ashitaba. But avoid nutritional supplements Resveratrol when at genetic risk of cancer due to mutation of gene CDK4.

The takeaway being – cancer, genomics, treatments and other personalized factors will influence decision making to questions like: Are extracts or nutritional supplements Resveratrol beneficial and should not be taken? Why should Resveratrol be not taken? Who should not take Resveratrol? What are side effects of Resveratrol with Radiation chemotherapy? What are the benefits of Resveratrol for cancer? Can Resveratrol help fight cancer and so on.

Whenever there are changes in chemotherapy treatments or cancer tissue genetics – the nutrition may change and hence needs to be re-evaluated. Do consider factors like cancer indication, ongoing chemotherapy treatments and nutritional supplements, age, gender, weight, height, lifestyle and genetics for personalization of nutrition.

Brief Overview

Use of nutritional supplements – vitamins, herbs, minerals, probiotics, and other specialty categories are increasing. Supplements are high concentrations of active ingredients which are also found in different foods. Difference between supplements and foods being that foods contain more than one active ingredient at much lower concentrations. Every active ingredient in an extract or nutritional supplement or food has a unique mechanism of action which can influence nutrition decisions.

These are some example questions which nutrition planning should help answer for you. Should you take supplements Resveratrol? Should you take it when at genetic risk of cancer for mutation of gene PIK3CA? Should you take it when at genetic risk of cancer for mutation of gene CDK4? Should you take it when diagnosed with Primary Urethral Squamous Cell Carcinoma? Should you take it when diagnosed with Primary Basal Cell Carcinoma? Should you take it when on Vismodegib treatment? Should you continue taking it if you change your treatment from Vismodegib to Radiation? So a general explanation like – it is organic and plant-based or it increases immunity is not sufficient information for making a decision of use of Resveratrol extracts and nutritional supplements.

Cancer

Genetic variations across cancer patients can be different and hence no two cancers are alike. The improved availability of “personalized to genetics” chemotherapy treatments and cancer disease monitoring via blood and saliva have been significant factors to improve outcomes. The earlier the lifestyle and treatment intervention – the better the influence on outcome. Genetic testing has the potential to assess cancer risk and susceptibility early. But for at-risk individuals besides regular monitoring in most cases there are no therapeutic treatment intervention options available. After diagnosis with cancer such as Primary Basal Cell Carcinoma or Primary Urethral Squamous Cell Carcinoma, the treatments get personalized to tumor genomics and factors like staging of disease, age and gender. During cancer remission (after treatment cycle is complete) – monitoring is used for assessment of any relapse and accordingly decide on next steps. A large majority of cancer patients and those at-risk may take nutritional supplements like Resveratrol.

So the question is that are all genetic risks and cancer indications to be considered uniformly when making decisions on the use of Resveratrol extracts or nutritional supplements? Are the biochemical pathway implications of genetic risk for cancer due to mutation of gene PIK3CA the same as due to mutation of gene CDK4? Are the implications of Primary Basal Cell Carcinoma the same as Primary Urethral Squamous Cell Carcinoma? Is it one and the same if you are on treatment with Radiation or Vismodegib?

Resveratrol – An Extract or Nutritional Supplement

Resveratrol is a polyphenol compound with strong antioxidant properties, naturally found in red wine, grapes and other foods. Resveratrol also has anti-inflammatory, anticancer, antimicrobial, anti-neurodegenerative, and estrogenic properties. Following are some of the potential health benefits of Resveratrol.

• May help reduce blood pressure (Siddhartha R Bhatt et al, Eur J Pharmacol., 2011)
• May help reduce cholesterol (Keila Lopes Mendes et al, Life Sci., 2016)
• May promote brain health (Alberto Granzotto et al, Front Aging Neurosci., 2014)
• May help reduce blood sugar (Natalia G Vallianou et al, Rev Diabet Stud., Winter 2013)
• May help reduce joint pain/symptoms associated with arthritis (Ali Mobasheri et al, Int J Mol Sci., 2012)

Resveratrol supplements contain many active ingredients including Resveratrol at different concentration levels. The molecular pathways which are regulated by Resveratrol include PI3K-AKT-MTOR Signaling, DNA Repair and Cell Cycle Checkpoints. These biochemical pathways directly or indirectly regulate specific cancer molecular endpoints like growth, spread and death of cancer cells. Because of this biological regulation – for cancer nutrition, the right choice of supplements like Resveratrol individually or in combination is an important decision to be made. When making decisions on the use of supplement Resveratrol over other nutritional supplements – do consider all these factors.

Who Should not take Resveratrol Supplements and Why?

There is no easy way to answer the question “For which cancers should I not chooseResveratrol nutritional supplements”. Just like the same chemotherapy treatment does not work across patients, for similar reasons Resveratrol in comparison with other nutritional supplements may be beneficial or not. Along with which cancer and associated genetics – the ongoing treatments, lifestyle habits, height, weight and food allergies are all factors in deciding if Resveratrol should be avoided or not and why.

1. Will Resveratrol Supplements benefit Primary Urethral Squamous Cell Carcinoma patients undergoing Radiation treatment?

Primary Urethral Squamous Cell Carcinoma is characterized and driven by specific genetic mutations like BLM, BRCA1 and CTCF leading to biochemical pathway changes in Androgen Signaling and DNA Repair. A cancer treatment like Radiation works through a specific pathway mechanism of action. The goal is to have a good overlap between the treatment and cancer driving pathways for a personalized approach which is effective. In such a condition any food or nutritional supplement which has a contrary effect to the treatment or reduces the overlap should be avoided. As an example, Resveratrol supplement should not be taken for Primary Urethral Squamous Cell Carcinoma along with treatment Radiation. Resveratrol supplement impacts the biochemical pathway called DNA Repair which either promotes drivers of the disease and/or nullifies the treatment effect. Some of the factors which should be considered when choosing nutrition are type of cancer, treatments and supplements being taken currently (if any

2. Will Resveratrol Supplements benefit Primary Basal Cell Carcinoma Patients undergoing Vismodegib Treatment?

Primary Basal Cell Carcinoma is characterized and driven by specific genetic mutations like PTCH1, CSMD3 and CSMD1 leading to biochemical pathway changes in PI3K-AKT-MTOR Signaling. A cancer treatment like Vismodegib works through specific pathway mechanisms. The goal is to have a good overlap between the treatment and cancer driving pathways for a personalized approach. In such a condition any food or nutritional supplement which supports treatment action or improves the overlap should be considered. As an example, Resveratrol supplements should be considered for Primary Basal Cell Carcinoma along with the treatment Vismodegib. Resveratrol supplement impacts pathways/processes like PI3K-AKT-MTOR Signaling which either obstruct drivers of Primary Basal Cell Carcinoma and/or improve Vismodegib treatment effect.

3. What about Resveratrol Supplements for Healthy Individuals with CDK4 Mutation associated Genetic Risk?

Different companies offer panels of genes to be tested for assessing genetic risk to different cancers. These panels cover genes associated with cancers of the breast, ovary, uterus, prostate, and gastrointestinal system and others. Genetic testing of these genes may confirm a diagnosis and help guide treatment and management decisions. Identification of a disease-causing variant may also guide testing and diagnosis of at-risk relatives. CDK4 is one of the genes generally available in panels for cancer risk testing.

CDK4 mutation causes biochemical pathways/processes like Cell Cycle Checkpoints and Cell Cycle to get impacted. These pathways are direct or indirect drivers of cancer molecular endpoints. Resveratrol should not be taken when the genetic panel identifies mutation of CDK4 for Skin Cancer. Resveratrol impacts pathways/processes like Cell Cycle Checkpoints and creates adverse conditions with CDK4.

4. What about Resveratrol Supplements for Healthy Individuals with PIK3CA Mutation associated Genetic Risk?

PIK3CA is one of the genes available in panels for cancer risk testing. PIK3CA mutation causes biochemical pathways/processes like PI3K-AKT-MTOR Signaling to get impacted. These pathways are direct or indirect drivers of cancer molecular endpoints. Resveratrol supplements may be considered when the genetic panel identifies mutations in PIK3CA for Cervical Adenocarcinoma. Resveratrol impacts pathways/processes like PI3K-AKT-MTOR Signaling and creates a canceling effect in those individuals with PIK3CA mutation.

* Other Factors are also included like BMI, Treatments, Lifestyle Habits

In Conclusion

It is important to remember that cancer chemotherapy treatments and nutrition are never the same for everyone. Food and nutritional supplements like Resveratrol are chosen by you and can influence outcomes.

“What should I eat?” is a commonly asked question by cancer patients and those at-risk. The answer to this question depends on cancer indication, underlying genetics, current chemotherapy treatments, food allergies, lifestyle information, and food preferences.

The addon.life approach to nutrition personalization uses knowledge of active ingredients contained in foods and nutritional supplements, cancer biology, chemotherapy treatment action and genetic mutation prevalence across cancer indications. addon.life team of clinicians, clinical scientists and engineers are experts in cancer biology focusing only on nutrition personalization for cancer patients and those at-risk.

What food you eat and which supplements you take is a decision you make. Your decision should include consideration of the cancer gene mutations, which cancer, ongoing treatments and supplements, any allergies, lifestyle information, weight, height and habits.

The nutrition planning for cancer from addon is not based on internet searches. It automates the decision making for you based on molecular science implemented by our scientists and software engineers. Irrespective of whether you care to understand the underlying biochemical molecular pathways or not - for nutrition planning for cancer that understanding is needed.

Get started NOW with your nutrition planning by answering questions on the name of cancer, genetic mutations, ongoing treatments and supplements, any allergies, habits, lifestyle, age group and gender.

References

• Mutational landscape of metastatic cancer revealed from prospective clinical sequencing of 10,000 patients.
• Resveratrol induces autophagy by directly inhibiting mTOR through ATP competition.
• BRCA1 expression restores radiation resistance in BRCA1-defective cancer cells through enhancement of transcription-coupled DNA repair.
• The crosstalk of mTOR/S6K1 and Hedgehog pathways.
• cBioPortal for Cancer Genomics
• Genomic analysis identifies new drivers and progression pathways in skin basal cell carcinoma.