New scientific studies, conducted on a mouse model, reveal that common food additives can speed the expression of lung cancer and even trigger the terrible disease in people predisposed to contracting it. The finds, published in the January issue of the American Thoracic Society's American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, also suggest that regulating the type of food lung cancer patients eat may give them an extra chance in fighting their condition.

"Our study indicates that increased intake of inorganic phosphates strongly stimulates lung cancer development in mice, and suggests that dietary regulation of inorganic phosphates may be critical for lung cancer treatment as well as prevention," says lead researcher Myung-Haing Cho, D.V.M., PhD, from the Seoul National University, in South Korea.

"Lung cancer is a disease of uncontrolled cell proliferation in lung tissue, and disruption of signaling pathways in those tissues can confer a normal cell with malignant properties. Deregulation of only a small set of pathways can confer a normal cell with malignant properties, and these pathways are regulated in response to nutrient availability and, consequently, cell proliferation and growth," he adds.

"Our results clearly demonstrated that the diet higher in inorganic phosphates caused an increase in the size of the tumors and stimulated growth of the tumors," the researcher warns. He says that thorough investigations by health authorities worldwide are required, in order to ensure that the additives meant to keep our food fresh, tasty, and good-looking, are not also the pathogens that generate an amazing surge in cancer cases globally.

"The results of this study suggest that dietary regulation of inorganic phosphates has a place in lung cancer treatment, and our eventual goal is to collect sufficient information to accurately assess the risk of these phosphates," Cho concludes. "Phosphates are currently being added much more frequently to a large number of processed foods, including meats, cheeses, beverages, and bakery products."