Broccoli Boost
March 1st 2008
Evidence is mounting that cancer risk can be lowered by eating plenty of broccoli, researchers have reported.
Dr Yuesheng Zhang of Roswell Park Cancer Institute, New York, USA, and colleagues explain that broccoli, like all cruciferous vegetables, contains isothyiocyanates (ITCs) - phytochemicals thought to prevent cancer.
Broccoli sprouts have about 30 times more ITCs than mature broccoli, the researchers believe. So they tested a broccoli sprout extract which contained about 600 times as much.
They fed this extract to rats which were also given a chemical which induces bladder cancer. Among rats given a low dose, 74 per cent developed cancer. In those given a high dose, about 38 per cent developed cancer. This compares against 96 per cent of rats given the cancer-causing chemical without the extract.
Dr Zhang said: "Although this is an animal study, it provides potent evidence that eating vegetables is beneficial in bladder cancer prevention. The bladder is particularly responsive to this group of natural chemicals.
"In our experiments, the broccoli sprout ITCs after oral administration were selectively delivered to the bladder tissues through urinary excretion."
Findings are published in the March 1 issue of Cancer Research. Dr Zhang believes that humans do not need to eat huge amounts of broccoli sprouts to derive protective benefits.
They say: "It is possible that ITC doses much lower than those given to the rats in this study may be adequate for bladder cancer prevention."
Other cruciferous vegetables include cabbage, kale, brussels sprouts, cauliflower, collard greens and mustard greens.
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