When reading product labels, we look for the words “contains E” and the accompanying combination of numbers denoting preservatives, artificial colors, sweeteners, and aromas. They are said to cause allergies and even cancer. And yet it is the other way around. Nisin, a food preservative with the symbol E234, destroys cancer cells and bacteria resistant to antibiotics.
Spectacular and optimistic research results Scientists from the University of Michigan published the “Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy”. Do they show that we no longer have to be afraid of preserves, i.e. chemistry in food? Unfortunately, it all depends on what chemistry we are talking about. Nisin, although used as a preservative, is a chemical, but organic. It is produced by lactic acid bacteria (Lactococcus lactis) in the fermentation of dairy products. And it destroys bacteria, but fortunately not the so-called “good”, which we know in the form of probiotics. Although nisin is not used as a medicine, it is added to food products as a preservative (then labeled E234) – especially in the production of cheese. It is also sometimes added to creams.
Scientists from the University of Michigan, led by Dr. Yvonne Kapili, have been testing the anti-cancer properties of nisin for some time in studies on rodents with head and neck cancers, especially with the counterparts of squamous cell carcinoma of the human mouth, which accounts for over 90 percent of the population. all cancer cases in this area.
The results of the experience of Dr. Kapila’s team on the anti-cancer properties of nisin to date have been very promising. In recent studies, highly purified nisin was almost twice as effective in combating cancer. In rodents given milkshake with this substance, tumors shrank by 70-80% after nine weeks. As a result, the animals survived longer.
In earlier studies that were carried out with lower doses of nisin, scientists have observed that the compound works, among others, in by activating the CHAC1 protein, which stimulates the processes of suicide death (apoptosis) in cancer cells.
In general, nisin is added to food in much lower doses than that used in rodents, the authors emphasize.
In their opinion, the latest discovery is very promising, as the effectiveness of oral cancer treatment has not improved over the years. In addition, nisin has been safely used in humans for years, which will greatly facilitate its rapid implementation in medical practice, in the event that further studies confirm its anti-cancer efficacy in patients.
Other experiments of the team led by Dr. Kapila have also shown that this compound is effective in combating bacteria resistant to known antibiotics. It is methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), which causes difficult-to-heal infections of the skin, respiratory system, muscles and veins. Nisin effectively destroys, among others biofilm, i.e. a complex structure formed by bacteria that is particularly resistant to the action of antibiotics. This discovery is valuable as more and more antibiotic-resistant bacterial strains have emerged in recent years. In addition, there have been no reports of the development of nisin resistance to date. As for other preservatives, we must still be careful, the more so that the statics are inexorable: statistically, each of us eats as much as 2 kg a year of various chemical food additives. Nisin with a pro-health effect is just one of them.