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2017/18 Undergraduate Module Catalogue

FOOD3340 Food and Cancer

10 creditsClass Size: 150

Module manager: Dr James Thorne
Email: j.l.thorne@leeds.ac.uk

Taught: Semester 1 (Sep to Jan) View Timetable

Year running 2017/18

Pre-requisite qualifications

Passes at 1st and 2nd year level in suitable biological science.

This module is approved as a discovery module

Module summary

- What is cancer and what are the hallmarks of cancer? - How are carcinogenic food agents identified and classified? What is risk? How do environmental factors affect cancer risk? - Can food components cause cancers? - What is the evidence for the role of food components in causing or protecting against cancers? - Can obesity cause cancer? Can meat in the diet cause cancer? - What is the evidence that Brassicas, garlic, onions, tea, soya, fruit and vegetables offer protection against cancers?- If you have an interest in diet, nutrition and health then Food and Cancer is an essential module. Note that you must have passed level 2 of a biological science degree programme to be eligible for this module. This 10 credit module is taught by a series of lectures throughout semester 1.

Objectives

On completion of this module, students should be able to:
- understand and recall the hallmarks of cancer
- understand the central role of the diet in non-smoking related cancer, both in causative and protective roles
- understand the contributions of different forms of evidence (eg epidemiology, in vivo studies and mechanistic studies) and understand the basis of current dietary advice with regard to cancer prevention
- link nutritional information with in vivo biochemistry, and be able to differentiate between unbased claims, hypotheses and experimentally validated conclusions.

Learning outcomes
- Define the hallmarks of cancer
- Understand how the global cancer burden is evolving
- Critically evaluate claims that different dietary compounds may increase or decrease the risk of different cancers
- Understand how IARC decide on carcinogen classifications
- Evaluate the public health recommendations made by World Cancer Research Fund International


Syllabus

- What is cancer?
- What are the hallmarks of cancer?
- Paper evaluation 1
- Mechanisms of carcinogenesis
- Methods used to study the links between diet and cancer
- WCRF dietary recommendations and supporting evidence
- maintain a healthy body weight
- eat plenty of fruit and vegetables
- avoid high fat foods
- How many individual foods (and components) cause cancer
- Afllatoxins
- Pyrolysis products
- Formaldehydes
- Cholesterol (and cholesterol altering diets)
- Meat
- Paper evaluation 2
- How many individual foods (and components) prevent cancer
- Aspirin (and is it a food?)
- All-trans retinoic acid (and Vitamin A)
- Cholesterol altering diets
- Fibre
- Polyphenols

Teaching methods

Delivery typeNumberLength hoursStudent hours
Lecture201.0020.00
Private study hours80.00
Total Contact hours20.00
Total hours (100hr per 10 credits)100.00

Private study

- Private study and examination preparation: 56 hours
- Directed reading (compulsory examination question): 10 hours
- Directed reading: 16 hours.

Opportunities for Formative Feedback

Online MCQ

Methods of assessment


Exams
Exam typeExam duration% of formal assessment
Standard exam (closed essays, MCQs etc)2 hr 00 mins100.00
Total percentage (Assessment Exams)100.00

Normally resits will be assessed by the same methodology as the first attempt, unless otherwise stated

Reading list

The reading list is available from the Library website

Last updated: 21/02/2018

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