"Fresh evidence backs broccoli as cancer fighter" WASHINGTON, July 17 (Reuters) - Scientists have found fresh evidence that a chemical found in broccoli and other vegetables may cut the risk of cancer, a researcher said on Tuesday at a conference on nutrition and cancer. Dr. Paul Talalay of Johns Hopkins School of Medicine said the chemical, sulforaphane, contained in vegetables such as broccoli, Brussels sprouts, kale and cabbage triggers cancer-blocking agents. The chemical stimulates the activity of so-called phase 2 enzymes. "These enzymes don't operate at their maximum capacity and boosting these results in protection (from cancer)," Talalay said. Direct antioxidants, such as vitamins C and E, latch onto carcinogens and neutralize them. Sulforaphane and other chemicals in the same family are indirect antioxidants -- catalysts, rather than direct actors. "The inducers, like sulforaphane, do not themselves take part in the destruction of the ... stress molecules," Talalay said. "They are not consumed." Talalay, one of the first scientists to isolate sulforaphane in 1992, pointed to the research of colleagues in Japan and Baltimore as evidence that this biological reaction works to fight the onset of cancer. Researchers engineered mice without the genetic "switch" that causes the trigger reaction that sulforaphane has on phase II enzymes. In these mice, the incidence of cancerous tumors was 50 to 60 percent greater, Talalay said. "This shows the protective mechanism is blunted," he said. Some plants, such as young, days-old broccoli sprouts that are engineered plants, more consistently boost phase II enzyme activity, he said. Other scientists, in a news briefing at the American Institute for Cancer Research's conference, pointed to chemical compounds found in other foods, such as green and chamomile tea, rosemary, mustard and turmeric, as beneficial in inhibiting possibly toxic effects from phase 1 enzymes. Vol 131 No. 11S, 11/01 Diet of Greece: Scientific Evidence The Comprehensive Approach to Diet Applying Science to Changing Dietary Patterns Soy for Bca Survivors: Critical Review of Lit Diet, Nutrition & Ca Prevention "Your Health Daily"'s take Fort Worth Star-Telegram's take Remember we are NOT Doctors and have NO medical training. This site is like an Encylopedia - there are many pages, many links on many topics. Support our work with any size DONATION - see left side of any page - for how to donate. You can help raise awareness of CAM.