Broccoli sprouts cancer information

Broccoli sprouts are widely consumed in many parts of the world. These sprouts have lately gained attention due to their potential in reducing the risk of cancer and for detoxing the liver and possibly other organs. Broccoli sprouts contain sulforaphane, a substance that has anti-cancer properties. Freshly germinated broccoli sprouts contain many times the concentration of sulforaphane as broccoli.

Where is sulforaphane found?
Sulforaphane is found in cruciferous vegetables such as Brussels sprouts, broccoli and broccoli sprouts, cauliflower, bok choy, kale, cabbage, collards, kohlrabi, mustard, turnip, radish, and watercress.

How does sulforaphone work?
Sulforaphane is a potent inducer of protective enzymes that provide defense against cancer-causing chemicals.

Cruciferous vegetables and cancer
Eating more broccoli and other cruciferous vegetables is associated with a lower risk of cancer. A number of studies have shown that a diet rich in cruciferous vegetable such as broccoli, Brussels Sprouts, cabbage and cauliflower can be beneficial to your health.

Broccoli sprouts and bladder cancer
An extract from broccoli sprouts can reduce the risk of bladder cancer by providing a high dose of isothiocyanates, in particular sulforaphane. Researchers at the Ruakura Agricultural Research Center in Hamilton, New Zealand fed rats an extract of broccoli sprouts which increased production in their bladder tissue of enzymes crucial for protecting cells from oxidants and cancer-promoting chemicals. People lacking these enzymes are at increased risk of bladder cancer.

Inhibition of urinary bladder cancer by broccoli sprouts.
Cancer Res. 2008; Munday R, Mhawech-Fauceglia P, Munday CM, Paonessa JD, Munday JS, Lister C, Wilson P, Fahey JW, Davis W, Zhang Y.
AgResearch Limited, Ruakura Agricultural Research Center, Hamilton, New Zealand.
Isothiocyanates are a well-known class of cancer prevention agents, and broccoli sprouts are a rich source of several isothiocyanates. We report herein that dietary administration to rats of a freeze-dried aqueous extract of broccoli sprouts significantly and dose-dependently inhibited bladder cancer development induced by N-butyl-N-(4-hydroxybutyl) nitrosamine. The incidence, multiplicity, size, and progression of bladder cancer were all inhibited by the extract, while the extract itself caused no histologic changes in the bladder. Moreover, inhibition of bladder cancer by the extract was associated with significant induction of glutathione S-transferase and NAD(P)H:quinone oxidoreductase 1 in the bladder, enzymes that are important protectants against oxidants and carcinogens. Broccoli sprout extract is a highly promising substance for bladder cancer prevention and the isothiocyanates in the extract are selectively delivered to the bladder epithelium through urinary excretion.

Broccoli sprouts detoxify toxins
In 2005 researchers from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and Bloomberg School of Public Health observed that broccoli sprouts can help the body detoxify carcinogens, which may reduce the risk of developing liver cancer. The study used three-day-old broccoli sprouts with known levels of sulforaphane glucosinolate.

Broccoli sprouts supplements
There are a number of different products available over the counter. One product provides 500 mg of broccoli spout extract containing 1 mg of sulforaphane. Another product has 100 mg of broccoli sprout extract providing 0.5 mg of sulforaphane. One pound of fresh broccoli contains about 2 mg of sulforaphane.

Broccoli Sprout Safety
There have been no reported concerns with respect to the tolerance and safety of broccoli sprouts in humans. A formal study of safety was conducted with 200 healthy volunteers at the Division of Clinical Pharmacology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, in Baltimore, Maryland. They were given high dosages of broccoli sprouts extracts for a period of one week. Thirty-two types of chemistry tests were done before, during, and after the treatment period. Liver enzymes and thyroid hormone levels were examined in detail. No side effects of any significance were found nor were there any untoward changes in the blood chemistry. However, we don't know the long term effects of daily ingestion of a broccoli sprout extract for several months or years.

Adding the mineral selenium
Selenium enrichment of broccoli sprout extract increases chemosensitivity and apoptosis of LNCaP prostate cancer cells.
BMC Cancer. 2009; Abdulah R, Faried A, Kobayashi K, Yamazaki C, Suradji EW, Ito K, Suzuki K, Murakami M, Kuwano H, Koyama H. Department of Public Health, Gunma University Graduate School of Medicine, Japan.
Broccoli is a Brassica vegetable that is believed to possess chemopreventive properties. Selenium also shows promise as an anticancer agent. Thus, selenium enrichment of broccoli has the potential to enhance the anticancer properties of broccoli sprouts. METHOD: Selenium-enriched broccoli sprouts were prepared using a sodium selenite solution. Their anticancer properties were evaluated in human prostate cancer cell lines and compared with those of a control broccoli sprout extract. Selenium-enriched broccoli sprouts were superior to normal broccoli sprouts in inhibiting cell proliferation, decreasing prostate-specific antigen secretion, and inducing apoptosis of prostate cancer cells. Furthermore, selenium-enriched broccoli sprouts but, not normal broccoli sprouts, induced a downregulation of the survival Akt/mTOR pathway. Our results suggest that selenium-enriched broccoli sprouts could potentially be used as an alternative selenium source for prostate cancer prevention and therapy.

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