Sulforaphane, a sulfur compound, has also been shown to kill cancer
stem cells, thereby slowing tumor growth. Some researchers believe
eliminating cancer stem cells may be key to controlling cancer. This is something current chemotherapies cannot do,
but food can! I have long touted the cancer busting power of broccoli; ever since studies in the mid-1990s showed that the broccoli compound glucoraphanin -- a precursor to sulforaphane – boosts cell enzymes that protect against molecular damage from cancer-causing chemicals.
Studies have also found that sulforaphane normalizes DNA methylation—a
process by which a methyl group (one carbon atom attached to three
hydrogen atoms) is added to part of a DNA molecule. DNA methylation is a
crucial part of normal cell function, allowing cells to "remember who
they are and where they have been" and is important in regulating gene
expression.
DNA methylation also suppresses the genes for things you don’t want,
such as viral and other disease-related genes, and abnormal DNA
methylation plays a critical role in the development of nearly all types
of cancer.
The sulforaphane from broccoli plays a role in activating more than
200 different genes. Specifically, it appears that broccoli contains the
necessary ingredients to switch ON genes that prevent cancer
development, and switch OFF other ones that help it spread. And you
don't have to consume a truckload of broccoli to reap its benefits.
In fact, a 2008 study published in PLoS One
found that just four servings of broccoli per week could protect men
from prostate cancer. One serving of broccoli is about two spears, so
that's only 10 broccoli spears per week. In this study, the researchers
collected tissue samples over the course of the study and found that the
men who ate broccoli showed hundreds of beneficial changes in genes known to play a role in fighting cancer.
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