http://www.DrBerg.com Learn how cruciferous benefits

1. Cruciferous
How it helps cancer
http://www.whfoods.com

2. How people get cancer
► Ifpotentially toxic molecules are not
properly and rapidly detoxified in the liver,
they can damage cell membranes and
molecules such as DNA within the cell
nucleus. Such damage can start a chain
reaction that may eventually lead to
carcinogenesis--cell deregulation and
uncontrolled growth.

3. 2 methods of ridding cancer
► Cauliflower and other cruciferous
vegetables, such as broccoli, cabbage, and
kale, have compounds which may help
prevent cancer. These compounds appear
to (1) stop enzymes from activating cancer-
causing agents in the body, and (2) increase
the activity of enzymes that disable and
eliminate carcinogens.

4. Plant Chemicals
► We now know that cruciferous vegetables
contain both glucosinolates and
thiocyanates (including sulforaphane and
isothiocyanate). These compounds increase
the liver's ability to neutralize potentially
toxic substances.

5. Cancer
► New Research Explains How Cruciferous Vegetables
Prevent Cancer
► Cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, kale and Brussels sprouts
help prevent cancer. When these vegetables are cut,
chewed or digested, a sulfur-containing compound is
brought into contact with the enzyme, resulting in the
release of a highly reactive compound called
isothiocyanates. Isothiocyanates are not only potent
triggers of the liver’s Phase II enzymes, which detoxify
carcinogens, but research recently conducted at the
Institute for Food Research in the U.K. shows one of these
compounds, allyl isothicyanate, also inhibits cell division
and stimulates programmed cell death in human tumor
cells.

6. How it works in colon cancer
► Cell replication (when the parent cell divides to form two
daughter cells) occurs in a four-stage process. After the
cell divides (the first stage), pole structures are created
called spindles (the second or metaphase). If anything
interferes with the construction and deconstruction of
these spindles, the cell division process stops, and the
damaged cells commit suicide. Researchers, have shown
that isothiocyanate disrupts the metaphase, thus
preventing the cell division of the colon cancer cells. Their
research are published in the July 2004 issue of
Carcinogenesis. (June 3, 2004)

7. How it works in breast cancer
► Sulforaphane, a compound formed when
cruciferous vegetables are chopped or chewed,
is already known to trigger the liver to produce
enzymes that detoxify cancer-causing chemicals,
inhibit chemically-induced breast cancers in animal
studies, and induce colon cancer cells to commit
suicide. Now, a study published in the September
2004 issue of the Journal of Nutrition shows
sulforaphane also helps stop the proliferation of
breast cancer cells, even in the later stages of
their growth. (October 19, 2004)

8. Prostate cancer
► Scientists tested turmeric (spice), a concentrated source of
the phytonutrient curcumin, along with phytochemicals
abundant in cruciferous vegetables including cauliflower,
cabbage, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, kale, kohlrabi and
turnips.
► When tested singly, both cruciferous and curcumin greatly
retarded the growth of human prostate cancer cells
implanted in immune-deficient mice. In mice with well-
established prostate cancer tumors, neither cruciferous and
curcumin by itself had a protective effect, but when
combined, they significantly reduced both tumor
growth and the ability of the prostate cancer cells
to spread (metastasize) in the test animals.

9. Combinations of foods
► The researchers believe the combination of
cruciferous vegetables and curcumin could be an
effective therapy not only to prevent prostate
cancer, but to inhibit the spread of established
prostate cancers.
► Use sautéed cauliflower spiced with turmeric.
► For protection against prostate cancer, cut
cauliflower florets in quarters and let sit for 5-10
minutes; this allows time for the production of
phenethyl isothiocyanates, which form when
cruciferous vegetables are cut, but stops when
they are over-heated.

10. Kale
► Kale stands out as an anti-cancer food. It’s the
organosulfur compounds in this food that have
been main subject of phytonutrient research, and
these include the glucosinolates and the
methyl cysteine sulfoxides. Although there are
over 100 different glucosinolates in plants, only
10-15 are present in kale and other Brassicas. Yet
these 10-15 glucosinolates appear able to lessen
the occurrence of a wide variety of cancers,
including breast and ovarian cancers.

11. Cataracts
► Inaddition to its unique organosulfur compounds,
kale is well-known for its carotenoids, especially
lutein and zeaxanthin. These carotenoids act like
sunglass filters and prevent damage to the eyes
from excessive exposure to ultraviolet light.
Studies have shown the protective effect of these
nutrients against the risk of cataracts, where
increased eye cloudiness leads to blurred vision. In
one study, people who had a diet history of eating
lutein-rich foods like kale had a 50% lower risk for
new cataracts.

12. Broccoli
► Like other cruciferous vegetables, broccoli contains
phytochemicals--sulforaphane and the indoles--with
significant anti-cancer effects. Research on indole-3-
carbinol shows this compound helps deactivate a
potent estrogen (4-hydroxyestrone) that promotes tumor
growth, especially in estrogen-sensitive breast cells, while
at the same time increasing the level of 2-
hydroxyestrone, a form of estrogen that can be
cancer-protective. Indole-3-carbinol has been shown to
suppress not only breast tumor cell growth, but also cancer
cell metastasis (the movement of cancerous cells to other
parts of the body).

13. Tumors
► When researchers at Johns Hopkins studied
the effect of sulphoraphane on tumor
formation in lab animals, those animals
given sulforaphane had fewer tumors, and
the tumors that did develop grew more
slowly and weighed less, meaning they
were smaller.
http://www.brassica.com/sci/patents.htm

14. Broccoli versus Sprouts
►A study published in the September 2004
issue of the Journal of Nutrition found
sulforaphane also helps stop the
proliferation of breast cancer cells, even in
the later stages of their growth. (If broccoli
isn't one of your favorite vegetables,
remember that a tablespoon of broccoli
sprouts contains as much sulforaphane
as is found in a whole pound of adult
broccoli.)

15. Sprouts
► Researchers estimate that broccoli sprouts
contain 10-100 times the power of
mature broccoli to boost enzymes that
detoxify potential carcinogens! A healthy
serving of broccoli sprouts in your salad or
sandwich can offer as much or even more
protection against cancer as larger amounts
of mature broccoli.

16. Stomach cancer
► Regularly eating broccoli sprouts may help prevent
stomach cancer by reducing Helicobacteri pylori (H. pylori)
infection, which is known to cause gastritis (stomach
inflammation) and peptic ulcer, suggests a study published
in an early 2005 issue of Inflammopharmacology.
► The research team, led by Akinori Yanaka of the University
of Tsukuba, Japan, found that in patients with H.pylori
infection, a diet including 100 grams of broccoli
sprouts per day (about 3 ounces) resulted in a
significant reduction of H. pylori and pepsinogen (a
biomarker in the blood indicating the degree of gastritis).

17. Broccoli sprouts vs. alfalfa sprouts
► The Japanese team recruited 40 patients infected with H. pylori. Each day for
two months, 20 patients ate a diet with 100 grams of two or three-day old
sulforaphane-rich broccoli sprouts each day for two months, while the
remaining 20 ate a diet with 100 grams of alfalfa sprouts instead.
► "We wanted to test alfalfa spouts together with broccoli sprouts,"
Yanaka explained, "because the chemical constituents of the two plants
are almost identical, except that 100 grams of broccoli sprouts
contain 250 milligrams of sulforaphane glucosinolate whereas alfalfa
sprouts contain neither sulforaphane nor sulforaphane
glucosinolate."
► (Glucosinolates, naturally occurring compounds in cruciferous vegetables such
as cauliflower and cabbage as well as broccoli, are enzymatically converted
into sulforaphane and other bioactive components when the sprouts are
chewed or cut.)
► At the end of the two-month dietary regimen, patients consuming 100
grams of broccoli sprouts per day showed significantly less H. pylori
and markedly decreased pepsinogen (an indicator of gastric atrophy). Those
eating alfalfa sprouts did not show any effect.

18. Cabbage
► The study included hundreds of Polish women and Polish-born women
in the U.S. who are part of the Polish Women's Health Study, a case-
control breast cancer study. Participants were given a food frequency
questionnaire that assessed their cabbage consumption when they
were 12 to 13 years old and as adults.
► Compared with women who ate only one serving or less of cabbage
per week during adolescence, those who ate four or more
servings were 72% less likely to develop breast cancer as
adults.
► In Poland, women typically eat an average of 30 pounds of
cabbage and sauerkraut per year, while American women
consume just 10 pounds per year. Polish women also
traditionally eat more raw cabbage and sauerkraut in salads
or as a side dish.

19. Raw cabbage
► Cabbage foods were categorized as raw (raw
sauerkraut and fresh cabbage), short-cooked
(steamed sauerkraut and cabbage), and long-
cooked (hunter's stew, cabbage rolls, and pierogi).
Cabbage's protective effect was seen only
for raw and short-cooked cabbage, not long-
cooked, which was eliminated from the analysis.
To promote the production of the most
glucosinolates, slice or chop your cabbage and let
sit for 5-10 minutes before cooking, and cook
lightly, steaming or sautéing for 5 minutes or less.

20. Parsley
► Parsley’s volatile oils – particularly myristicin – have been
shown to inhibit tumor formation in animal studies, and
particularly, tumor formation in the lungs. Myristicin has
also been shown to activate the enzyme glutathione-S-
transferase, which helps attach the molecule glutathione to
oxidized molecules that would otherwise do damage in the
body. The activity of parsley’s volatile oils qualify it as a
“chemoprotective” food, and in particular, a food that
can help neutralize particular types of carcinogens
(like the benzopyrenes that are part of cigarette smoke,
charcoal grill smoke, and the smoke produced by
trash incinerators).

21. Beets
► The pigment that gives beets their rich,
purple-crimson color--betacyanin--is also a
powerful cancer-fighting agent. Beets'
potential effectiveness against colon cancer,
in particular, has been demonstrated in
several studies.