THIS common dry fruit can reduce colon cancer risk

Colon cancer is the fourth most common cancer in men and women. It is also the fourth leading cause of cancer-related death in the US, according to the CDC. A new clinical study has found that a common dry fruit can help reduce the risk of cancer and fight inflammation.

A clinical trial by the UConn School of Medicine found that a common dry fruit can improve systemic inflammation while also reducing colon cancer risk. This is because of ellagitannins.

Ellagitannins, a plant-derived polyphenol compound found in walnuts, are metabolized by the gut microbiome and turn them into a wide range of anti-inflammatory molecules called urolithins. Urolithins have potent anti-inflammatory properties and may even inhibit cancer.

“Ellagitannins in the walnut are importantly providing the anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer properties that we’re seeing in patients in our clinical trial research, particularly the gut’s conversion of ellagitannins to a potent anti-inflammatory agent, urolithin A,” Daniel W. Rosenberg, Ph.D. and his multidisciplinary team of researchers at the UConn School of Medicine said in a research.

Rosenberg, who is the HealthNet Chair in Cancer Biology, is also an investigator in the Center for Molecular Oncology. He found this miraculous benefit of walnuts after studying its properties for more than a decade. He studied the connection between walnut consumption and its anti-inflammatory properties.

The researchers found that high levels of urolithin A formation by the gut microbiome from walnut consumption have a positive impact on reducing inflammatory markers across blood, urine, and fecal samples, and may even positively affect the immune cells within colon polyps.

The study followed 39 adults between the ages of 40 and 65, all considered at elevated risk for colon cancer. Participants first avoided all ellagitannin-containing foods to reset their gut microbiome. Then, for three weeks, they consumed a walnut-rich diet under close monitoring. At the end of the study, colonoscopies and laboratory analyses revealed significant improvement in their health. Researchers found that the participant with the highest levels of urolithin A, the metabolite formed from walnuts, showed increased levels of peptide YY, a protein known to suppress colorectal cancer. They also found a reduction in several blood inflammation markers, particularly among obese individuals, who were more efficient at forming urolithins.

Participants with high levels of urolithin A formation following walnut consumption were directly associated with reduced levels of several important proteins that are often present in polyps (abnormal growth). This is the first clinical study that shows how walnut ingestion may directly improve colon health. They found that the protein vimentin, often linked with more advanced forms of colon cancer, was significantly reduced in polyp tissues from patients whose gut microbiomes produced the highest levels of urolithin A.

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“Urolithin A has a very positive influence on inflammation and maybe even cancer prevention. Our study proves that dietary supplementation with walnuts can boost the general population’s urolithin levels in those people with the right microbiome, while significantly reducing several inflammatory markers, especially in obese patients,” Rosenberg adds.

“Our study provides strong rationale for dietary inclusion of walnut ellagitannins for cancer prevention. Nutrients from walnuts can contribute to reduced cancer risk. There are many potential benefits one can get from eating walnuts, with so little downside risk, that just grabbing a handful every day is really something that you can easily do for your long-term health benefit,” Rosenberg concludes.