Para-coumaric acid is a phenolic coumarin
derivative that inhibits the development of stomach cancer and is found in
various plants such as tomatoes, green peppers, carrots, strawberries, and
pineapples, as well as herbal plants like basil, and turmeric. Activated during
digestion, para-coumaric acid interferes with the development of
cancer-causing nitrosamines in the stomach.
Nitrosamines, a group of organic compounds containing the reactive nitroso (N=O)
moiety, were discovered more than 100 years ago, but it wasn't until the 1950s
that they were found to be highly carcinogenic in laboratory animals. Food
products, such as cured meats, pickled foods, and dried salted fish, are
associated with the development of nitrosamines. It is believed that the process
starts in the stomach when nitrate salts are reduced to form nitrites. The
resulting nitrites combine with secondary amines, derived from bacterial action
on meat proteins, to produce small amounts of carcinogenic nitrosamines.
Para-coumaric acid inhibits this process by binding to nitric
acid derivatives, preventing them from combining with biochemical amines to form
dangerous nitrosamines. Researchers have determined that 90 percent of all
nitrosamine compounds tested in experimental animals have been shown to cause
cancer. To date it has not been established which nitrosamine derivatives or
what doses, if any, are safe for human consumption.
