Research: Resveratrol, but not EGCG, in the diet suppresses DMBA-induced mammary cancer in rats

Abstract

Breast cancer remains a leading killer among cancers that affect women in the United States and around the world. It was estimated that in 2005, in the US alone, there were 211,240 new cases of female breast cancer and 40,410 deaths [1]. This remains a destructive disease despite the advent of new and aggressive therapeutics. It is widely accepted that environmental and dietary factors play a role in determining one’s risk of breast cancer. There is an extensive and growing amount of work devoted to the possible links between diet and a reduction in the risk of breast cancer. Our lab has studied the effects of dietary exposure to genistein, the primary isoflavone component of soybeans. We have shown that genistein administered in neonatal, prepubertal, and a combination of neonatal and prepubertal periods followed by adult exposures can suppress chemically-induced mammary cancer in Sprague-Dawley rats [2-4]. Other dietary compounds that have received much attention for their health benefits, including anti-carcinogenic properties, are the naturally occurring polyphenols resveratrol and EGCG