title: Inflammaging and cancer: a challenge for the Mediterranean diet.
abstract: Aging is considered the major risk factor for cancer, one of the most important mortality causes in the western world. Inflammaging, a state of chronic, low-level systemic inflammation, is a pervasive feature of human aging. Chronic inflammation increases cancer risk and affects all cancer stages, triggering the initial genetic mutation or epigenetic mechanism, promoting cancer initiation, progression and metastatic diffusion. Thus, inflammaging is a strong candidate to connect age and cancer. A corollary of this hypothesis is that interventions aiming to decrease inflammaging should protect against cancer, as well as most/all age-related diseases. Epidemiological data are concordant in suggesting that the Mediterranean Diet (MD) decreases the risk of a variety of cancers but the underpinning mechanism(s) is (are) still unclear. Here we review data indicating that the MD (as a whole diet or single bioactive nutrients typical of the MD) modulates multiple interconnected processes involved in carcinogenesis and inflammatory response such as free radical production, NF-κB activation and expression of inflammatory mediators, and the eicosanoids pathway. Particular attention is devoted to the capability of MD to affect the balance between pro- and anti-inflammaging as well as to emerging topics such as maintenance of gut microbiota (GM) homeostasis and epigenetic modulation of oncogenesis through specific microRNAs.
authors: Department of Experimental, Diagnostic and Specialty Medicine (DIMES), University of Bologna, Via San Giacomo 12, 40126 Bologna, Italy. rita.ostan3@unibo.it.
authors: Rita
authors: R
authors: Ostan
authors: Department of Experimental, Diagnostic and Specialty Medicine (DIMES), University of Bologna, Via San Giacomo 12, 40126 Bologna, Italy. catia.lanzarini2@unibo.it.|Interdepartmental Centre "L. Galvani" (CIG) University of Bologna, Via San Giacomo 12, 40126 Bologna, Italy. catia.lanzarini2@unibo.it.
authors: Catia
authors: C
authors: Lanzarini
authors: Department of Experimental, Diagnostic and Specialty Medicine (DIMES), University of Bologna, Via San Giacomo 12, 40126 Bologna, Italy. elisa.pini5@unibo.it.
authors: Elisa
authors: E
authors: Pini
authors: Department of Experimental, Diagnostic and Specialty Medicine (DIMES), University of Bologna, Via San Giacomo 12, 40126 Bologna, Italy. maria.scurti@unibo.it.
authors: Maria
authors: M
authors: Scurti
authors: Department of Experimental, Diagnostic and Specialty Medicine (DIMES), University of Bologna, Via San Giacomo 12, 40126 Bologna, Italy. dario.vianello@unibo.it.
authors: Dario
authors: D
authors: Vianello
authors: Department of Experimental, Diagnostic and Specialty Medicine (DIMES), University of Bologna, Via San Giacomo 12, 40126 Bologna, Italy. claudia.bertarelli@unibo.it.
authors: Claudia
authors: C
authors: Bertarelli
authors: Department of Experimental, Diagnostic and Specialty Medicine (DIMES), University of Bologna, Via San Giacomo 12, 40126 Bologna, Italy. cristina.fabbri12@unibo.it.
authors: Cristina
authors: C
authors: Fabbri
authors: Interdepartmental Centre "L. Galvani" (CIG) University of Bologna, Via San Giacomo 12, 40126 Bologna, Italy. massimo.izzi@unibo.it.
authors: Massimo
authors: M
authors: Izzi
authors: Interdepartmental Centre "L. Galvani" (CIG) University of Bologna, Via San Giacomo 12, 40126 Bologna, Italy. mariagiustina.palmas@unibo.it.
authors: Giustina
authors: G
authors: Palmas
authors: Interdepartmental Centre "L. Galvani" (CIG) University of Bologna, Via San Giacomo 12, 40126 Bologna, Italy. fiammetta.biondi2@unibo.it.
authors: Fiammetta
authors: F
authors: Biondi
authors: Department of Experimental, Diagnostic and Specialty Medicine (DIMES), University of Bologna, Via San Giacomo 12, 40126 Bologna, Italy. morena.martucci3@unibo.it.
authors: Morena
authors: M
authors: Martucci
authors: Department of Experimental, Diagnostic and Specialty Medicine (DIMES), University of Bologna, Via San Giacomo 12, 40126 Bologna, Italy. elena.bellavista2@unibo.it.|Interdepartmental Centre "L. Galvani" (CIG) University of Bologna, Via San Giacomo 12, 40126 Bologna, Italy. elena.bellavista2@unibo.it.
authors: Elena
authors: E
authors: Bellavista
authors: Department of Experimental, Diagnostic and Specialty Medicine (DIMES), University of Bologna, Via San Giacomo 12, 40126 Bologna, Italy. stefano.salvioli@unibo.it.|Interdepartmental Centre "L. Galvani" (CIG) University of Bologna, Via San Giacomo 12, 40126 Bologna, Italy. stefano.salvioli@unibo.it.
authors: Stefano
authors: S
authors: Salvioli
authors: Department of Experimental, Diagnostic and Specialty Medicine (DIMES), University of Bologna, Via San Giacomo 12, 40126 Bologna, Italy. miriam.capri@unibo.it.|Interdepartmental Centre "L. Galvani" (CIG) University of Bologna, Via San Giacomo 12, 40126 Bologna, Italy. miriam.capri@unibo.it.
authors: Miriam
authors: M
authors: Capri
authors: Department of Experimental, Diagnostic and Specialty Medicine (DIMES), University of Bologna, Via San Giacomo 12, 40126 Bologna, Italy. cristina.fabbri12@unibo.it.|IRCCS, Institute of Neurological Sciences, Via Altura 3, 40139 Bologna, Italy. cristina.fabbri12@unibo.it.|National Research Council of Italy, CNR, Institute for Organic Synthesis and Photoreactivity (ISOF), Via P. Gobetti 101, 40129 Bologna, Italy. cristina.fabbri12@unibo.it.
authors: Claudio
authors: C
authors: Franceschi
authors: Department of Experimental, Diagnostic and Specialty Medicine (DIMES), University of Bologna, Via San Giacomo 12, 40126 Bologna, Italy. aurelia.santoro@unibo.it.
authors: Aurelia
authors: A
authors: Santoro
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging; D002908:Chronic Disease; D038441:Diet, Mediterranean; D000069196:Gastrointestinal Microbiome; D041981:Gastrointestinal Tract / Q000382:microbiology; D006801:Humans; D007249:Inflammation / Q000517:prevention & control*; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000517:prevention & control*