For Which Cancer Types Should I Avoid Sumac Supplement?

Highlights

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

Is it okay to take Sumac 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 Sumac extracts or nutritional supplements may benefit Primary Myoepithelial carcinoma patients on Radiation treatment over Soy Bean nutritional supplements. But Sumac supplements or Sumac extracts offer less benefit if on Pembrolizumab treatment for Primary Mucinous Stomach Adenocarcinoma compared to Modified Citrus Pectin. Similarly, taking nutritional supplements Sumac may benefit healthy individuals who are at genetic risk of cancer due to mutation of gene NRAS over Rosemary. But avoid nutritional supplements Sumac when at genetic risk of cancer due to mutation of gene TET2.

The takeaway being – cancer, genomics, treatments and other personalized factors will influence decision making to questions like: Are extracts or nutritional supplements Sumac beneficial and should not be taken? Why should Sumac be not taken? Who should not take Sumac? What are side effects of Sumac with Pembrolizumab chemotherapy? What are the benefits of Sumac for cancer? Can Sumac 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 Sumac? Should you take it when at genetic risk of cancer for mutation of gene NRAS? Should you take it when at genetic risk of cancer for mutation of gene TET2? Should you take it when diagnosed with Primary Mucinous Stomach Adenocarcinoma? Should you take it when diagnosed with Primary Myoepithelial carcinoma? Should you take it when on Radiation treatment? Should you continue taking it if you change your treatment from Radiation to Pembrolizumab? 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 Sumac 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 Myoepithelial carcinoma or Primary Mucinous Stomach Adenocarcinoma, 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 Sumac.

So the question is that are all genetic risks and cancer indications to be considered uniformly when making decisions on the use of Sumac extracts or nutritional supplements? Are the biochemical pathway implications of genetic risk for cancer due to mutation of gene NRAS the same as due to mutation of gene TET2? Are the implications of Primary Myoepithelial carcinoma the same as Primary Mucinous Stomach Adenocarcinoma? Is it one and the same if you are on treatment with Pembrolizumab or Radiation?

Sumac – An Extract or Nutritional Supplement

Sumac (Rhus coriaria) is a flowering plant which belongs to the family Anacardiaceae and produces clusters of reddish pea-sized fruits. It is commonly found in East Asia, Africa, and North America. The fruits are rich in antioxidants and are usually used to make tea. Dietary supplements of Sumac are also commercially available. Following are some of the potential health benefits of Sumac:

• May help reduce blood sugar (Farzad Shidfar et al, Iran J Pharm Res., Fall 2014)
• May help reduce muscle pain during aerobic exercise (A H Alghadir et al, Physiol Int., 2016)
• May have anti-inflammatory, antimalarial, antimicrobial and antiviral effects (Sierra Rayne and G Mazza, Plant Foods Hum Nutr., 2007)

Sumac supplements contain many active ingredients including Moronic Acid, Quercitrin, Quercetin, Myricitrin and Myricetin at different concentration levels. The molecular pathways which are regulated by Sumac include RAS-RAF Signaling, Interferon Signaling, Oncogenic Histone Methylation and DAP12 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 Sumac individually or in combination is an important decision to be made. When making decisions on the use of supplement Sumac over other nutritional supplements – do consider all these factors.

Who Should not take Sumac Supplements and Why?

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

1. Will Sumac Supplements benefit Primary Mucinous Stomach Adenocarcinoma patients undergoing Pembrolizumab treatment?

Primary Mucinous Stomach Adenocarcinoma is characterized and driven by specific genetic mutations like GRIN3A, TMEM26 and TP53 leading to biochemical pathway changes in Interferon Signaling, Cell Cycle Checkpoints and Apoptosis. A cancer treatment like Pembrolizumab 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, Sumac supplement should not be taken for Primary Mucinous Stomach Adenocarcinoma along with treatment Pembrolizumab. Sumac supplement impacts the biochemical pathway called Interferon 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 Sumac Supplements benefit Primary Myoepithelial carcinoma Patients undergoing Radiation Treatment?

Primary Myoepithelial carcinoma is characterized and driven by specific genetic mutations like HRAS, PIK3CA and STAG2 leading to biochemical pathway changes in RAS-RAF Signaling, Growth Factor Signaling, G-protein-coupled Receptor Signaling, Angiogenesis and Hematopoiesis. 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, Sumac supplements should be considered for Primary Myoepithelial carcinoma along with the treatment Radiation. Sumac supplement impacts pathways/processes like RAS-RAF Signaling which either obstruct drivers of Primary Myoepithelial carcinoma and/or improve Radiation treatment effect.

3. What about Sumac Supplements for Healthy Individuals with TET2 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. TET2 is one of the genes generally available in panels for cancer risk testing.

TET2 mutation causes biochemical pathways/processes like Oncogenic Histone Methylation and Oncogenic Cancer Epigenetics to get impacted. These pathways are direct or indirect drivers of cancer molecular endpoints. Sumac should not be taken when the genetic panel identifies mutation of TET2 for Chronic Myelomonocytic Leukemia. Sumac impacts pathways/processes like Oncogenic Histone Methylation and creates adverse conditions with TET2.

4. What about Sumac Supplements for Healthy Individuals with NRAS Mutation associated Genetic Risk?

NRAS is one of the genes available in panels for cancer risk testing. NRAS mutation causes biochemical pathways/processes like DAP12 Signaling, MAPK Signaling and RAS-RAF Signaling to get impacted. These pathways are direct or indirect drivers of cancer molecular endpoints. Sumac supplements may be considered when the genetic panel identifies mutations in NRAS for Acute Lymphoid Leukemia. Sumac impacts pathways/processes like DAP12 Signaling and creates a canceling effect in those individuals with NRAS 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 Sumac 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

• Discovery and development of spleen tyrosine kinase (SYK) inhibitors.
• Impact of oncogenic K-RAS on YB-1 phosphorylation induced by ionizing radiation.
• [Surgical treatment of open bite].
• cBioPortal for Cancer Genomics
• Mutational landscape of metastatic cancer revealed from prospective clinical sequencing of 10,000 patients.
• Inhibitors of histone demethylases.
• cBioPortal for Cancer Genomics
• Quercitrin ameliorates the development of systemic lupus erythematosus-like disease in a chronic graft-versus-host murine model.
• Flavonoids as receptor tyrosine kinase FLT3 inhibitors.