New study reveals broccoli can help fight cancer

A team of scientists has found that a compound in broccoli, a green vegetable, not only helps prevent cancer, but can also help treat the disease. Sulforaphane, which is also found in other cruciferous vegetables such as cabbage, kale and brussels sprouts, was found to inhibit the development of colon and prostate cancer cells.  The […]

A team of scientists has found that a compound in broccoli, a green vegetable, not only helps prevent cancer, but can also help treat the disease.
Sulforaphane, which is also found in other cruciferous vegetables such as cabbage, kale and brussels sprouts, was found to inhibit the development of colon and prostate cancer cells. 
The highest concentrations of the cancer-fighting compound are found in young sprouts of broccoli, in addition to a dietary supplement called broccoli sprout extract.
Researchers from Texas A&M Health Science Center have concluded that the supplement can be used as a ‘field-to-client’ way to prevent – or even treat – colon cancer.
They warned that broccoli sprout extract should not be used in lieu of traditional chemotherapy or radiation treatments,.
Instead, the study shows the supplement can be used as an aid to help cancer drugs work more effectively – and prevent the disease from occurring in the first place.
Using the supplement appears to be ‘generally’ safe, researchers said.
“We have not seen any serious adverse events in healthy volunteers who consumed BSE pills for seven days,” Dr Praveen Rajendran of Texas A&M, a co-author of the study said.
However, he added that not all broccoli supplements are necessarily as effective as the ones his team tested, since they used a standardized broccoli extract provided by Johns Hopkins University for the study.
Colon cancer patients who eat more broccoli sprouts, cabbage and kale were found to have their number of cancerous cells reduce faster than those who ate fewer of the vegetables .But later in the development of cancer, Nrf2 is thought to play a role in tumor growth and even enhance the buildup of plaque in arteries.
“Because of all this, we believe that Nrf2 status is worthy of further investigation, not just for cancer treatment but for its role in modulating cardiovascular disease,” Dr Rajendran said.
Researchers said their study has shown that sulforaphane can prevent cancer, but that they aren’t ready to recommend that everyone takes a broccoli sprout extract yet.
The study was published in the journal Clinical Epigenetics.