Cancer, a leading cause of death, can be prevented by different nutrients, in
accordance to epidemiological and experimental data. Cancer chemoprevention might
involve different dietary substances, which can counteract genetic damage and modulate
the acquisition of a neoplastic phenotype. Critical to this process is redox cellular
homeostasis, with antioxidants and essential biomolecules being the most promising
functional compounds of the diet. Nutritional interventions require accurate biomarkers
in order to evaluate their appropriateness. Such parameters may be biological targets
involved in the oncogenetic process, and biochemical changes deriving from the organic
response to tumors, which can be considered as endpoints of dietary interventions. This
chapter reviews the patents on recent progress in the development of redox-related
anticancer nutritional interventions involving lipophilic compounds, and of scientificbased
biological markers for evaluating them.
Keywords: Antioxidant, bioassay, biomarker, cancer, carcinogenesis, cellular
differentiation, chemoprevention, chronic disease, clinical biochemistry,
cytotoxicity, diet, fatty acid, immunity, inflammation, lipid, oxidative stress,
phytochemical, polyphenol, synergy, tissue homeostasis.