Broccoli compound fights cancer While eating vegetables is often touted as a way to fight disease, exactly how these foods promote health is not clear. Now, researchers think they know how the body uses at least one vegetable as a weapon against cancer. Researchers from the University of California at Berkeley looked at the effects of broccoli on human breast cancer cells. According to findings, compounds in broccoli known as indoles are digested and broken down in the stomach to a compound called 3,3'-diindolylmethane (DIM). This compound may be the key to keeping cancer at bay. "Our results demonstrate that DIM has multiple cell suppressive effects on human breast cancer cell growth and (imply) that DIM may represent a potential anticancer...modulator in human breast cancer," Chibo Hong, the lead researcher, told Reuters Health. He explained that DIM appears to prevent malignant cells from dividing and multiplying, thereby preventing the spread of cancer. DIM also promotes the death of tumor cells by increasing levels of a protein that kills cells, and lowering levels of another protein that keeps cells alive. Tumor cells often have higher levels of this life-sustaining protein. According to the results, which will be presented at this week's meeting of the American Society for Cell Biology in San Francisco, tumor cells treated with DIM contained more of the death-promoting protein and less of the life-sustaining protein. Furthermore, DIM increased two types of messenger RNAs. These proteins prevented tumor cells from growing and helped to bring about the death of cancerous cells. Hong said future research will look deeper into the precise mechanisms of DIM. Thanks to Reuters Health By Suzanne Rostler Proceedings of Nat'l Academy of Science, 6/02 Am Chemical Society, 8/02 Cancer Research, 9/02 Abstract #C174 Frontiers in Cancer Prevention Res, 2003 Experimental Biol & Med, 9/04 Food Additives & Contaminants, 11/06 Food and Chemical Toxicology, 2/07 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.