Beat Cancer with Broccoli

When you were a kid, where you stranded at the dining table because you had trouble finishing your vegetables?

“Eat your vegetables.” That was what mom used to say and even if it was vehemently against your wishes, science proves that she made the right call because more and more research is showing that vegetables play a key role in the fight against cancer.

Scientists have been aware for some time that eating cruciferous vegetables, such as broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage, can help prevent breast cancer – the second leading cause of death among women – but it’s only now that they have actually observed the mechanism by which the active substances in these vegetables inhibit cell proliferation.

UC Santa Barbara researcher Olga Azarenko said that cabbage, broccoli and cauliflower contain active compound called isothiocyanates, which are believed to be responsible for the cancer-preventive and anti-carcinogenic activities in these vegetables.

Among the three cruciferous vegetables, broccoli and broccoli sprouts have been found to contain the highest amount of the isothiocyanates.

Isothiocyanates work by inhibiting the growth of human breast cancer cells, which leading to cell death.
Other cruciferous vegetables containing isothiocyanates include horseradish, arugula, kale, collard greens and watercress.

Besides breast cancer in women, earlier studies also emphasized the protective benefits of cruciferous vegetables against other types of cancer, including:

• Bladder cancer – Researchers discovered that increasing the intake of cruciferous vegetables reduces the risk of bladder cancer in men.
• Lung cancer – Men with detectable amounts of isothiocyanates in their bodies lowered their risk of developing lung cancer over 10 years by 36 percent.
• Prostate cancer – A recent study published in PLoS ONE (Public Library of Science) reported that just a few additional portions of broccoli each week could protect men from prostate cancer.
Fighting Cancer with a Crunch

Among cruciferous vegetables, broccoli contains a particularly powerful type of isothiocyanate called sulforaphane, which gives broccoli its particular cancer-fighting properties.

Researchers believe that the active substances in broccoli have the ability to switch ON genes that prevent cancer development and switch OFF other genes that help spread cancer, effectively delivering a one-two combination punch of protective action.

According to a John Hopkins University study, small quantities of fresh broccoli sprouts contain as much cancer protection as larger amounts of the mature broccoli. Just 5 grams (0.17 ounces) of sprouts contain concentrations of the compound glucoraphanin (a precursor to sulforaphane) equal to that found in 150 grams (5.2 ounces) of mature broccoli.

You can eat the sprouts raw and add them to your salads to instantly introduce cancer-protecting nutrients in your diet.

If you don’t like the taste of broccoli, you can still experience its amazing benefits by using Broccoli extract to replace your sunscreen.

The same John Hopkins University study found that broccoli extract, when applied topically, reduced the degree of redness caused by ultraviolet (UV) radiation exposure by an average of 37 percent.

Broccoli extract easily gets absorbed directly into your skin cells, delivering sulforaphane to activate a matrix of protective enzymes that defend your skin against damage from UV exposure, unlike sunscreen, which just absorbs UV radiation. It’s even just as effective in protecting against UV radiation a few days after being applied, even after no residue of the broccoli extract remained on the skin.

Overall, it’s tough to beat the health benefits of broccoli. However, if you eat too many dark green vegetables like broccoli, you may push the alkalinity levels in your body sky-high, which is definitely not a good thing.

Dr. Mercola’s advice is to listen to your body and find out which types of vegetables your unique body type will best respond to.

A person who is conscious about health and my inspiration is Dr. Joseph Mercola. For more concerns about health, Mercola provides newsletter on his website. For other resources you can try reading my health care articles post on my blog.