So that’s how broccoli blocks cancer
From Times Staff and Wire Reports
Eating foods like broccoli and soy has been linked to lower cancer rates, and UCLA researchers said they may have discovered the biological mechanism behind the protective effect.
Using cells in a lab dish, they found that diindolylmethane, a compound resulting from digestion of cruciferous vegetables, and genistein, an isoflavone in soy, reduce the production of two proteins needed for breast and ovarian cancers to spread.
“We think these compounds might slow or prevent the metastasis of breast and ovarian cancer, which would greatly increase the effectiveness of current treatments,” UCLA graduate student Erin Hsu said at a meeting of the American Assn. for Cancer Research in Los Angeles.
