Scientists investigating the link between diet and oral cancer have been given a $285,000 boost by healthcare insurance provider Simplyhealth.
Simplyhealth is supporting a three-year University of Sheffield project examining the influence diet has on oral human papillomavirus (HPV), a risk factor for some cancers.
The research team, led by Hilary Powers, PhD, a professor of nutritional biochemistry at Sheffield, is investigating the association between oral HPV infection and a group of dietary compounds called methyl donors that are found in a range of foods, including green vegetables, beans, eggs, and cereals. The team will recruit about 700 men and women, testing for HPV infection in the mouth and measuring the concentration of methyl donors in the mouth and the bloodstream. The results will help to understand more about how diet may influence oral cancer risk, according to the researchers.
The donation was given to the cancer prevention charity World Cancer Research Fund.
