Soybean Proteins in Cancer Treatment
This research project focuses on how soybean proteins can prevent and fight cancerous cells despite their toxicity and nutritional implications. Statistics have shown that people of Asian decent have the lowest rates of cancer and this has been linked to their high intake of soy products in their diets. Soybeans are considered a functional food, which is defined by the Food and Nutrition Board as any food or food ingredient that may provide a health benefit beyond the traditional nutrients it contains. Soy proteins such as lunasin and lectins have been found to destroy cancerous cells. Lunasin is a soybean polypeptide that after injection into cancer cells stops cell division and causes apoptosis. Lectin is a protein that agglutinates erythrocytes and binds with certain carbohydrates. Animal and clinical studies have shown that lectins have the potential to treat leukemia, breast, prostate, stomach, and lung cancer. It has been proven that some lectins can fight off malignant cells; however, they can also be hazardous to humans if ingested as part of the diet. To minimize possible human health hazards and to improve the nutritional quality of soy foods, lectins are inactivated by heat treatment during food processing or removed by fractionation. In the lab, soybean samples are selected for analysis of lectin content, milled and then extracted with a buffer solution and agglutination will be observed after 1 hour in the presence of human erythrocytes. Depending on the treatment, more cells should agglutinate as more lectin is added to the blood samples. Researchers and society are becoming more conscious that soy foods could have the power to fight off diseases and achieve optimum health.
School:
Grambling State University
Department:
Nutritional Sciences
Research Advisor:
Elvira de Mejia
Department of Research Advisor:
Food Science and Human Nutrition
Year of Publication:
2002