Medicinal Foods
Some vegetables contain chemicals that
appear to enhance DNA repair in cells, which could lead to protection against
cancer development, say Georgetown University Medical Center researchers. In a
new study published in the "British Journal of Cancer" and by the
journal "Nature" the researchers show that in laboratory tests, a
compound called indole-3-carinol (I3C), found in broccoli, cauliflower and
cabbage, and a chemical called genistein, found in soy beans, can increase the
levels of two specific proteins that repair damaged DNA.
This study is one of the first to
provide a molecular explanation as to how eating vegetables could cut the risk
of developing cancer, an association that some population studies have found,
says the study's senior author, Eliot M. Rosen, MD, PhD, professor of oncology,
cell biology, and radiation medicine at Georgetown 's Lombardi Comprehensive
Cancer Center . "It is now clear that the function of crucial
cancer genes can be influenced by compounds in the things we eat," Rosen
says.
"Our findings suggest a clear molecular
process that would explain the connection between diet and cancer
prevention." In this
study, Rosen exposed breast and prostate cancer cells to increasing doses of
I3C and genistein, and found that these chemicals boosted production of the
repair proteins BRCA1 and BRCA2.
Since decreased amounts of the BRCA
proteins are seen in cancer cells, higher levels might prevent cancer from
developing, Rosen speculates, adding that the ability of I3C and genistein to
increase production of BRCA proteins could explain their protective effects.
The study was funded by the Susan G.
Komen Breast Cancer Foundation and the National Cancer Institute and co-authors
include Drs. Saijun Fan, MD, PhD, Qinghui Meng , MS , Karen Auborn, PhD, and
Timothy Carter, PhD.
For many decades, science has been
focused on understanding the mechanisms of disease so that drugs could be
developed. But the closer they look at disease, the more they discover about
the powerful and protective nature of whole foods. Have you had your
veggies today?
Visit The Wholefood Farmacy