Does Quercetin Supplementation Decrease Colon Cancer Risk?
Experimental evidence has shown the mechanism of action through which quercetin can protect against the development of colon cancer in a number of experimental and animal studies: slows colon cancer cell replication, induces programmed cell death of cancer cells (apoptosis), encourages normal differentiation of colon cells and colon cancer cells, and acts as an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory agent. The addition of quercetin to cultured human colon cancer cells (Caco-2 cells: human adenocarcinoma colon cancer cells) inhibited the ability of the colon cancer cells to replicate. After exposure to quercetin, cell replication rates decreased to 51.3 percent compared to cancer cells not exposed to quercetin. Some animal studies have shown that oral administration of quercetin reduces the development of colon cancer in animals exposed to cancer-causing agents known to induce colon cancer development. (Animals given the quercetin showed significantly lower rates of cancers than those not gi
