New research reveals how common dietary proteins like bovine serum albumin (BSA) or ovalbumin (OVA) may stimulate the body’s immune response and reduce small intestine cancer. Study: Food antigens suppress small intestinal tumorigenesis. Image Credit: Sinhyu Photographer / Shutterstock.

com In a recent study published in the journal Frontiers in Immunology , researchers investigate the impact of dietary antigens in regulating small intestinal tumors. How does diet affect cancer of the small intestine? Despite being the most common type of cancer to affect individuals throughout the world, there remains a lack of non-invasive diagnostic technologies for monitoring the growth of gastrointestinal (GI) tumors. Although rare, tumors in the small intestine can arise.

Many of these remain undetected for extended periods due to the delayed onset of symptoms, which can worsen treatment outcomes. Thus, identifying dietary components that prevent or inhibit small intestine carcinogenesis is critical. It remains unclear which dietary components can reduce small intestine carcinogenesis, as this type of tumor is much more rare than colorectal malignancies.

However, given the crucial role of the immune system in tumor control, researchers hypothesize that food components and bacteria, both of which can impact immune responses in the GI tract, may be involved in the development of small intestine tumors. About the study The researchers of the present study used Apc min/+ mice, a mouse mode.