ABSTRACT
This chapter deals with food-borne inhibitors of genotoxicity, either of natural origin or synthetic, such as molecules which are already used or may be proposed as food additives. Diet and food components play a major role in the etiopathogenesis of chronic degenerative diseases, among which are cancer and other pathological conditions associated with the occurrence of genotoxic effects in germ and somatic cells. The possibility of preventing the endogenous formation of mutagens from inactive precursors, either by chemical reaction or by biological mechanisms, represents one of the most interesting and readily applicable approaches in cancer prevention. The occurrence of all these natural inhibitors may explain why the mutagenicity of human gastric juice after meals is mainly dependent on preformed substances rather than on nitrosation products. The protection by hemoglobin and myoglobin against the action of food pyrolysis mutagens, observed in bacterial test systems, is possibly due to similar complexing mechanisms.
