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Nutrition, Vitamins & Supplements for Seniors
Bladder Tumors Cut More than Half by Eating Extract
of Broccoli Sprouts
More evidence that cruciferous vegetables offer
cancer protection
 Feb. 28, 2008 A concentrated extract of freeze
dried broccoli sprouts cut development of bladder tumors in an animal
model by more than half, according to a report in the March 1 issue of
Cancer Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer
Research.
This finding reinforces human epidemiologic studies
that have suggested that eating cruciferous vegetables like broccoli is
associated with reduced risk for bladder cancer, according to the
studys senior investigator, Yuesheng Zhang, MD, PhD, professor of
oncology at Roswell Park Cancer Institute.
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Although this is an animal study, it provides
potent evidence that eating vegetables is beneficial in bladder cancer
prevention, he said.
There is strong evidence that the protective action
of cruciferous vegetables derives at least in part from isothyiocyanates
(ITCs), a group of phytochemicals with well-known cancer preventive
activities.
The bladder is particularly responsive to this
group of natural chemicals, Zhang said. In our experiments, the
broccoli sprout ITCs after oral administration were selectively
delivered to the bladder tissues through urinary excretion.
Other cruciferous vegetables with ITCs include
mature broccoli, cabbage, kale, collard greens and others.
Broccoli sprouts have approximately 30 times more
ITCs than mature broccoli, and the sprout extract used by the
researchers contains approximately 600 times as much.
Although animals that had the most protection
against development of bladder cancer were given high doses of the
extract, Zhang said humans at increased risk for this cancer likely do
not need to eat huge amounts of broccoli sprouts in order to derive
protective benefits.
Epidemiologic studies have shown that dietary ITCs
and cruciferous vegetable intake are inversely associated with bladder
cancer risk in humans. It is possible that ITC doses much lower than
those given to the rats in this study may be adequate for bladder cancer
prevention, he said.
Zhang and his colleagues tested the ability of the
concentrate to prevent bladder tumors in five groups of rats. The first
group acted as a control, while the second group was given only the
broccoli extract to test for safety.
The remaining three groups were given a chemical,
N-butyl-N-(4-hydroxybutyl) nitrosamine (BBN) in drinking water, which
induces bladder cancer. Two of these groups were given the broccoli
extract in diet, beginning two weeks before the carcinogenic chemical
was delivered.
In the control group and the group given only the
extract, no tumors developed, and there was no toxicity from the extract
in the rats.
About 96 percent of animals given only BBN
developed an average of almost two tumors each of varying sizes.
By comparison, about 74 percent of animals given a
low dose of the extract developed cancer, and the number of tumors per
rat was 1.39.
The group given the high dose of extract had even
fewer tumors. About 38 percent of this high-dose group developed cancer,
and the average number of tumors per animal was only .46 and, unlike the
other animals, the majority were very small in size.
Editors Notes:
The study was funded by the Vital Vegetables
Research Program of Australia and New Zealand, the National Cancer
Institute and the Roswell Park Alliance Foundation.
The mission of the American Association for Cancer
Research is to prevent and cure cancer. Founded in 1907, AACR is the
world's oldest and largest professional organization dedicated to
advancing cancer research. The membership includes nearly 27,000 basic,
translational, and clinical researchers; health care professionals; and
cancer survivors and advocates in the United States and more than 70
other countries.
>>
American Association for Cancer Research
>>
More about broccoli
sprouts and cancer at Thompson & Morgan seeds
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