Cancers are the second leading cause of death in Italy, preceded only by cardiovascular diseases. In the AIRTUM 2020 report there are 81,000 cases of cancer in women and 101,800 cases in men. It is also true that it seems that the cases are decreasing compared to previous years.
This is certainly due to the advancement of medical research with respect to prevention and possible treatments against cancer. New technologies have allowed early diagnosis and therefore earlier therapies than in the past. We discover, however, that science says that preventing and treating tumors could be facilitated thanks to these precious microorganisms.
In fact, there are millions of organisms in our bodies that we know very little about. Only in recent years, medicine has identified some very important ones. Their presence is connected to the immune system and also to some pathologies, including cancer.
Science says that preventing and treating cancer could be facilitated thanks to these precious microorganisms
There are 3 recent studies reported by the AIRC that shed light on the importance of the microbiota. The microbiota is none other than the set of organisms and viruses that live in the human body. These are different based on the areas they live in. What has attracted the attention of scientists is the intestinal microbiota, which is fundamental for metabolic activity and more.
A study states that the cause of some cancers, especially those of the intestine, is chronic inflammation of certain organs. Inflammation often comes from what we eat. This is why doctors take care to repeat how important it is to have a balanced and healthy diet. For example, here we have seen what really happens to the body if you completely eliminate carbohydrates.
What we eat is also essential for the survival of the microbiota and therefore the efficiency of the immune system. The Stanford University study found that eating fermented foods greatly reduced the number of pro-inflammatory proteins.
How to make treatments more effective
This is why by enhancing the microbiota we may be able to increase the effectiveness of cancer treatments. What happens is that some substances produced by the intestinal microbiota strengthen the ability of immune cells to eliminate cancer cells (University of Würzburg).
The presence of some bacteria (such as Bacteroides intestinalis) increases the degree of inflammation of the intestinal mucosa. Thus, inhibiting the IL-1 beta molecule, which is closely related to the bacterium, could reduce inflammation. In this way, by working on the microbiota, the negative effects of anticancer therapies can be modified (University of Texas). Furthermore, short-chain fatty acids such as butyrate and pentanoate could increase the anticancer effect of the therapies. This determines that microbiota and tumors are connected to each other and that the future of anticancer treatments may depend on this.
Deepening
The best weapons to prevent and diagnose breast cancer and to live peacefully