For Which Cancer Types Should I Avoid Eggplant Supplement?

Highlights

Nutritional supplements and extracts like Eggplant 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 Eggplant supplement and why should not take them?

Is it okay to take Eggplant 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 Eggplant extracts or nutritional supplements may benefit Primary Sinonasal Undifferentiated Carcinoma patients on Radiation treatment over Calendula nutritional supplements. But Eggplant supplements or Eggplant extracts offer less benefit if on Gemcitabine treatment for Primary Sarcomatoid Carcinoma of the Urinary Bladder compared to Osha Root. Similarly, taking nutritional supplements Eggplant may benefit healthy individuals who are at genetic risk of cancer due to mutation of gene JAK2 over Butyric Acid. But avoid nutritional supplements Eggplant when at genetic risk of cancer due to mutation of gene TP53.

The takeaway being – cancer, genomics, treatments and other personalized factors will influence decision making to questions like: Are extracts or nutritional supplements Eggplant beneficial and should not be taken? Why should Eggplant be not taken? Who should not take Eggplant? What are side effects of Eggplant with Gemcitabine chemotherapy? What are the benefits of Eggplant for cancer? Can Eggplant 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 Eggplant? Should you take it when at genetic risk of cancer for mutation of gene JAK2? Should you take it when at genetic risk of cancer for mutation of gene TP53? Should you take it when diagnosed with Primary Sarcomatoid Carcinoma of the Urinary Bladder? Should you take it when diagnosed with Primary Sinonasal Undifferentiated Carcinoma? Should you take it when on Radiation treatment? Should you continue taking it if you change your treatment from Radiation to Gemcitabine? 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 Eggplant 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 Sinonasal Undifferentiated Carcinoma or Primary Sarcomatoid Carcinoma of the Urinary Bladder, 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 Eggplant.

So the question is that are all genetic risks and cancer indications to be considered uniformly when making decisions on the use of Eggplant extracts or nutritional supplements? Are the biochemical pathway implications of genetic risk for cancer due to mutation of gene JAK2 the same as due to mutation of gene TP53? Are the implications of Primary Sinonasal Undifferentiated Carcinoma the same as Primary Sarcomatoid Carcinoma of the Urinary Bladder? Is it one and the same if you are on treatment with Gemcitabine or Radiation?

Eggplant – An Extract or Nutritional Supplement

Eggplant is often referred to as the king of vegetables. It is also called brinjal which belongs to members of nightshade. It is rich in antioxidants and has multiple health benefits. Some of the purported/potential benefits of consuming eggplants are : 

• Maintenance of healthy bones
• Reduce the risk of heart disease
• Help in controlling blood sugar
• Help in treatment of anemia
• Aids in digestion
• Helps in weight loss
• Possesses anticancer properties (Monruedee Sukprasansap et al, Mutat Res. 2019; Bill Elliot Cham et al, Planta Med. 2012)

Eggplant supplements contain many active ingredients including Vitamin C, Linoleic Acid, Octadecanoic Acid, Retinol and L-histidine at different concentration levels. The molecular pathways which are regulated by Eggplant include Hypoxia, MYC Signaling, Cell Cycle Checkpoints and Cytokine Signaling. 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 Eggplant individually or in combination is an important decision to be made. When making decisions on the use of supplement Eggplant over other nutritional supplements – do consider all these factors.

Who Should not take Eggplant Supplements and Why?

There is no easy way to answer the question “For which cancers should I not chooseEggplant nutritional supplements”. Just like the same chemotherapy treatment does not work across patients, for similar reasons Eggplant 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 Eggplant should be avoided or not and why.

1. Will Eggplant Supplements benefit Primary Sarcomatoid Carcinoma of the Urinary Bladder patients undergoing Gemcitabine treatment?

Primary Sarcomatoid Carcinoma of the Urinary Bladder is characterized and driven by specific genetic mutations like ERCC2, KRAS and LATS2 leading to biochemical pathway changes in MYC Signaling, DNA Repair, Chromatin Remodeling, G-protein-coupled Receptor Signaling, Growth Factor Signaling and Hippo Signaling. A cancer treatment like Gemcitabine 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, Eggplant supplement should not be taken for Primary Sarcomatoid Carcinoma of the Urinary Bladder along with treatment Gemcitabine. Eggplant supplement impacts the biochemical pathway called MYC Signaling 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 Eggplant Supplements benefit Primary Sinonasal Undifferentiated Carcinoma Patients undergoing Radiation Treatment?

Primary Sinonasal Undifferentiated Carcinoma is characterized and driven by specific genetic mutations like GATA1, POLE and ASXL1 leading to biochemical pathway changes in Hypoxia, Chromatin Remodeling, DNA Repair, Oncogenic Cancer Epigenetics and Suppressive Histone Methylation. A cancer treatment like Radiation 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, Eggplant supplements should be considered for Primary Sinonasal Undifferentiated Carcinoma along with the treatment Radiation. Eggplant supplement impacts pathways/processes like Hypoxia which either obstruct drivers of Primary Sinonasal Undifferentiated Carcinoma and/or improve Radiation treatment effect.

3. What about Eggplant Supplements for Healthy Individuals with TP53 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. TP53 is one of the genes generally available in panels for cancer risk testing.

TP53 mutation causes biochemical pathways/processes like Cell Cycle Checkpoints and Apoptosis to get impacted. These pathways are direct or indirect drivers of cancer molecular endpoints. Eggplant should not be taken when the genetic panel identifies mutation of TP53 for Lung Cancer. Eggplant impacts pathways/processes like Cell Cycle Checkpoints and creates adverse conditions with TP53.

4. What about Eggplant Supplements for Healthy Individuals with JAK2 Mutation associated Genetic Risk?

JAK2 is one of the genes available in panels for cancer risk testing. JAK2 mutation causes biochemical pathways/processes like Cytokine Signaling, JAK-STAT Signaling and Immune Checkpoints to get impacted. These pathways are direct or indirect drivers of cancer molecular endpoints. Eggplant supplements may be considered when the genetic panel identifies mutations in JAK2 for Myeloproliferative Neoplasms. Eggplant impacts pathways/processes like Cytokine Signaling and creates a canceling effect in those individuals with JAK2 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 Eggplant 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

• Ascorbic acid and ascorbate-2-phosphate decrease HIF activity and malignant properties of human melanoma cells.
• Triplex-forming oligonucleotides targeting c-MYC potentiate the anti-tumor activity of gemcitabine in a mouse model of human cancer.
• Activation of PPAR gamma and delta by conjugated linoleic acid mediates protection from experimental inflammatory bowel disease.
• Significance of HIF-1-active cells in angiogenesis and radioresistance.
• Mutational landscape of metastatic cancer revealed from prospective clinical sequencing of 10,000 patients.
• Omega-3 fatty acids inhibit an increase of proinflammatory cytokines in patients with active Crohn’s disease compared with omega-6 fatty acids.
• cBioPortal for Cancer Genomics