Eating broccoli can help prevent cancer
A recent study done by researchers from the University of Santiago de Compostela reveals the anticancer power of cruciferous plants like broccoli.
Food is a determining factor against cancer since what we eat acts as a shield against the development of tumors. But it is not always easy to show which “anticancer” foods can be most effective. A Spanish investigation promoted by the University of Santiago de Compostela in collaboration with the Institute of Genetics and Biochemistry of the Misión Biológica de Galicia has confirmed that cauliflower and broccoli are two essential foods to avoid and treat some types of cancer. Isothiocyanate compounds (ITC) in cauliflower and broccoli may help prevent and treat some prostate and breast tumors.
The contributions of these Spanish research groups are very encouraging. They have been published in various forums and scientific publications, as they form the basis of Elena Pérez Muñuzuri’s doctoral thesis “Effects of isothiocyanates in vitro models of hormone-dependent cancers.”
“We evaluated the antitumor activity of different ITCs present in various cabbage cultures in human prostate and breast cancer cell lines characterized by a different pattern of hormone receptor expression,” the scientists explain. Treatment with most of these compounds produces dose- and time-dependent inhibition of cell growth, favors programmed cell death, and inhibits migration involved in metastatic tumor processes. In combined therapy with the reference antitumor drug, greater effectiveness was observed, enhancing its beneficial effect.
“In addition, some ITCs may reduce the expression of genes that enhance proliferative and metastatic activity and increase that of others involved in the inhibitory activity of the cytotoxic, pro-apoptotic, epithelial-mesenchymal transition, a process by which tumor cells become more aggressive, “they add.
Future goals
Determining the efficacy of a diet rich in nutrients in ICT in preventing and treating cancer is one of the future strategies that this team of researchers intends to undertake. In addition, some of the molecules could be the subject of trials to discover their potential as an antitumor drug.
