While the anticancer properties of cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower Brussels sprouts and cabbage, have been known for quite some time, recent (2008) experiments on rats proved that broccoli sprouts pack the biggest protective punch of all. Loaded with 30 times higher amounts of isothiocyanates (ITC)–natural anticancer chemicals—than the fully matured vegetable, broccoli sprouts were found to reduce the growth of bladder tumors by more than half in rats that were fed a concentrated extract of the freeze-dried sprouts.
Yuesheng Zhang, MD, PhD, professor of oncology at the Roswell Park Cancer Institute in Buffalo, N.Y., who headed this research program, confirms that its results support previous human epidemiologic studies that have shown the anticancer properties of cruciferous vegetables.
“It is possible that ITC doses much lower than those given to the rats in this study may be adequate for bladder cancer prevention,” said Dr. Zhang.
(To benefit from this information: (a) Add broccoli sprouts to your salads; and (b) make sure it is certified organic. Produce sprayed with pesticides and grown in soil treated with chemical fertilizers, tends to have fewer health benefits and may even pose health hazards.)