Cancer- Fighting Broccoli

Cancer- Fighting Broccoli

We always tell our cancer patients at New Hope Unlimited how important it is to eat your veggies and especially how important it is to eat broccoli. If someone were to ask me what food would I say patients dislike the most, I would have to say it’s broccoli. It seems that broccoli is one of the veggies many people turn up their nose to.

Researchers have known for a long time that there is a compound called sulforaphane that can possibly help fight off cancer problems. The compound sulforaphane can be found in broccoli and other cruciferous vegetables. This compound can affect our genetic codes and turn on important signals to help fight cancer.

The Clinical Epigenetics journal published a study that shows sulforaphane works in several ways to help fight cancer such as the genetic code theory. Another way is through a mechanism called DNA methylation.

Emily Ho is an associate professor in the Linus Pauling Institute and the OSU College of Public Health and Human Sciences. She said in a statement, “It appears that DNA methylation and HDAC inhibition, both of which can be influenced by sulforaphane, work in concert with each other to maintain proper cell function. They sort of work as partners and talk to each other.”

Ho explained that DNA methylation is a normal process that turns off unnecessary genes. She explained that it helps control what DNA material gets read as part of genetic communication in our cells. When there is cancer, that process has become confused and messed up.

The Linus Pauling Institute researchers admitted that broccoli has an abundance of sulforaphane in it, but found that broccoli sprouts are more than 50 times stronger with sulforaphane in them. That can be a good news for those who just hates broccoli.

Broccoli sprouts can be found in the market where you would find other sprouts like alfalfa sprouts. I have used broccoli sprouts many times on salads and in my smoothies. To me, the sprouts are not near as strong tasting as the broccoli flowers. If you use the sprouts, you can always “overpower” the taste with something else you add. This way you can get the benefits of a proven cancer-fighting food. And if you’re really smart, you can sprout your own sprouts.

Have fun getting healthier, but don’t forget, check your teeth for the little broccoli flowers
when you smile. 🙂

images courtesy of: www.thedailygreen.com and www.behance.net

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