Sprouts and cabbage may cure breast cancer
Published: October 11, 2006
A new research by British scientists has shown that Brussels sprouts and cabbage help fight breast cancer.
They claim to have discovered a chemical in green vegetables which when used in conjunction with common chemotherapy drugs, can kill breast cancer cells.
Several previous studies had indicated a link between eating such vegetables and prevention against cancer, but the present research is the first to examine how vegetables can play a role in treating the disease.
For their research, scientists at the University of Leicester studied the effects of the naturally-occurring compound indole-3-carbinol (I3C) on tumor cells in the laboratory.
This compound is found in cruciferous vegetables (belonging to the mustard family), including broccoli, cauliflower, kale and watercress, with high concentrations in Brussels sprouts and cabbage.
The cancer cells were fed around 300mg to 400mg of this compound in a day, which is almost the same amount found in a trolley-full of cabbages.
The researchers found that when the compound was used in conjunction with common chemotherapy drugs, the tumor cells were killed off.
Speaking at the National Cancer Research Institute Conference in Birmingham, Professor Margaret Manson, of the Department of Biochemistry and the Department of Cancer Studies and Molecular Medicine said that the trials were in the early stages but hoped the findings will eventually benefit cancer patients.
“Obviously, in humans you would want to reverse the cancer, but if you could even halt it so it does not progress further, that would be beneficial,” Dailymail quoted her as saying.
“Usually what kills patients is metastatic cancer, where it spreads around the body. Although we need to carry out further studies on tumors removed from patients, the potential benefits are clear,” she added.
Professor Manson said that I3C has the potential to alter the molecules in three of the cell types, making them more vulnerable to anti-cancer drugs, and combining it with chemotherapy drugs enhanced its effectiveness.
The findings of the study funded by the Medical Research Council have been published in the journal Carcinogenesis.
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