A strong dose of broccoli sprout extract activates the gene that stimulates the removal of carcinogens and may prevent relapse in patients with head and neck cancers.
Scientists in the journal “Cancer Prevention Research” inform about this discovery. Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh exposed cancer cells and healthy cells to various doses of sulforaphane under laboratory conditions. In both cases, the compound activated genes that help clear up carcinogens.
They also tested the effects of sulforaphane on ten healthy volunteers who drank fruit juice mixed with broccoli sprout extract for several days. The cells that make up the oral lining of the subjects also showed the previously observed mechanism.
In a parallel study of mice ‘programmed’ to develop cancer of the head and neck, scientists found that rodents given sulforaphane developed significantly fewer tumors than mice that did not ingest sulforaphane.
High levels of sulforaphane occur, inter alia, in in cabbage, Brussels sprouts, kale, peppercorns, arugula or cauliflower sprouts.