2019/20 Taught Postgraduate Module Catalogue

FOOD5340M Food and Cancer

10 creditsClass Size: 100

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

Taught: Semester 1 (Sep to Jan) View Timetable

Year running 2019/20

This module is approved as an Elective

Module summary

- If you have an interest in the link between food and cancer 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. - This module will explore the cell an molecular biology of cancer and how molecular nutrition experiments have helped scientisits and healthcare professionals understand the link between some foods/dietary patterns and cancer. You will learn what cancer is, and what the hallmarks of cancer are. How can the diet be used to help prevent cancer, and how compounds derived from the diet have been ‘weaponised’ in the fight against cancer. - You will also explore how some food agents are carcinogenic and how these are identified and classified, what is the risk associated with consuming them. Can lifestyle behaviours, such as that which leads to obesity cause cancer? Can meat in the diet cause cancer? - At the societal level you will explore why some reports on a single food may vary, what are the epxerimental variables that lead to apparently contrdicting evidence, how do the media interpret scietific data?

Objectives

On completion of this module, students should be able to:
- understand and recall the hallmarks of cancer
- understand the current limitations and recent advances in how the diet influences cancer incidence, progression and recurrence, 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.
- evaluate the contribution different organisations make to public health regarding reducing cancer risk

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 a carcinogen is classified
Evaluate the evidence that leads to public health recommendations

Syllabus

- What is cancer?
- Molecular biology of cancer
- What are the hallmarks of cancer?
- Mechanisms of carcinogenesis
- Methods used to study the links between diet and cancer
- WCRF dietary recommendations and supporting evidence
- Molecular mechanisms through which individual foods, diets and components may cause cancer
- Obesity
- Afllatoxins
- Meat
- How may individual foods (and components) prevent cancer, and what are nutraceuticals?
- Aspirin (and is it a food)
- O3FAs
- All-trans retinoic acid (and Vitamin A)
- Cholesterol altering diets
- Glucosinolates
- Resveratrol/polyphenols

Teaching methods

Delivery type	Number	Length hours	Student hours
Lecture	18	1.00	18.00
Seminar	2	1.00	2.00
Private study hours			80.00
Total Contact hours			20.00
Total hours (100hr per 10 credits)			100.00

Private study

Private study and examination preparation: 70 hours
Directed reading: 10 hours

Methods of assessment

Exams

Exam type	Exam duration	% of formal assessment
Standard exam (closed essays, MCQs etc)	2 hr 00 mins	100.00
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: 04/09/2019

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