"'Eat more beans' to stop cancer", BBC News, September 15, 2005,
Link: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/4247984.stm

A diet rich in beans, nuts and cereals could be a way to prevent
cancer, believe UK researchers.

Scientists at University College London have discovered that these
everyday foods contain a potent anti-cancer compound.

This blocks a key enzyme involved in tumour growth, they told Cancer
Research journal.

The researchers say, in the future, it might be possible to mimic this
compound in an anti-cancer drug.

Scientists have been exploring the enzyme phosphoinositide 3-kinase as
a target for cancer treatment for some time but inhibitors have been
difficult to develop because of problems with chemical stability and
toxicity.

Dr Marco Falasca and colleagues have discovered that a natural
compound, called inositol pentakisphosphate, which is found in most
legumes as well as in wheat bran and nuts, blocks the activity of the
enzyme.

When they tested its action in mice with ovarian and lung cancer they
found it not only blocked tumour growth but also enhanced the effect of
other cancer-killing drugs.

In addition, it appeared to be non-toxic, unlike conventional
chemotherapy agents.

Dr Falasca said: "Our study suggests the importance of a diet enriched
in foods such as beans, nuts and cereals which could help prevent
cancer.

"Our work will now focus on establishing whether the phosphate
inhibitor can be developed into an anti-cancer agent for human therapy.

"We believe that inositol pentakisphosphate is a promising anti-cancer
tool and we hope to bring it to clinical testing soon."

Henry Scowcroft of Cancer Research UK said: "It is always encouraging
when a newly discovered chemical is shown to have anti-cancer activity
in the laboratory, especially when it occurs naturally in foods like
beans and peas.

"Obviously, the next step is to look at whether inositol
pentakisphosphate is able to inhibit tumour growth in cancer patients,
in properly controlled clinical trials."

He said researchers were also looking at whether people who eat more
lentils, peas and beans are actually at lower risk of developing
cancers

"What we do know already is that a diet that includes at least five
portions of fruit and vegetables a day can help to reduce the risk of
cancer."