Every year around 60,400 people in Germany develop colon cancer and around 24,300 people die from it. There are a number of known factors that contribute to your risk for theDevelopment of colon cancercan contribute, including a sedentary lifestyle, obesity, alcohol consumption and smoking. New research suggests there is a healthy food from Japanese cuisine that may lower your risk of colon cancer.
According to a new study published in the journalMarine Drugspublished, researchers from Korea University, Kyungpook National University and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign found thatRoot algae(red seaweed) may have a protective effect against colon cancer.
Based on previous research showing a strikingly low risk of colon cancer among people in Japan, researchers examined specific components of the Japanese diet to find answers. By studying how red algae, a common part of the Japanese diet, is digested, researchers discovered that when it is broken down in the body, two types ofPolysaccharidenarise – agarotriose and 3,6-anhydro-L-galactose.
“After we made these polysaccharides, we tested theirsprebiotic mode of actionwith the bacteriumBifidobacterium longum ssp. of a child“said Eun Ju Yun, lead author of the study and a former postdoctoral researcher at the Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, in a press release. The authors of the study also tested the types of sugarB. kashiwanohense-Bacteria.
The researchers discovered that the bacteria only consumed the agarotriose, suggesting that the polysaccharide obtained from red algaeserve as a prebioticand thatSupport growth of beneficial bacteria in the intestinescan.
“These results show us that whenEating red algaethese sugars, which feed probiotic bacteria, are released in the intestines. This could explain why the Japanese population is healthier compared to others,” said Yong-Su Jin (CABBI/BSD/MME), professor of food microbiology.
The study's researchers further examined the sugars extracted from red algae for clues as to whether they might have cancer-fighting potential.
“We found that AHG specifically inhibits the growth of human colon cancer cells and does not affect the growth of normal cells,” Yun explained.
While the study's researchers concluded that more research is needed to determine the exact applications of their findings, that's not the only benefit you can get from adding some red seaweed to your diet. According to oneArticle from 2015, in the trade journalMarine Drugspublished, there is also evidence that consuming seaweed may reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.
Marine Drugs, 2021: In Vitro Prebiotic and Anti-Colon Cancer Activities of Agar-Derived Sugars from Red Seaweeds; Eun Yun, Sora Yu, Young-Ah Kim, Jing-Jing Liu, Nam Kang, Yong-Su Jin, Kyoung Kim.
