More Evidence Of Cancer Fighting Benefit From Nutrients In Certain Vegetables
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Chemicals in cruciferous vegetables, such as broccoli, watercress, cabbage and cauliflower, appear to stop human prostate cancer cells from growing in mice by (af...) the expression of proteins, says a University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute study, abstract number 5601, being presented today at the annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research, at the Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C.

"The contribution of diet and nutrition to cancer risk, prevention and treatment have been a major (fo...) of research in recent years because certain (nu...) in vegetables and (die...) agents appear to protect the body against diseases such as cancer," said Shivendra Singh, Ph.D., (le...) investigator and professor of pharmacology and urology at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. (F...) " epidemiologic data, we know that increased consumption of vegetables reduces the risk (f...) certain types of cancer, but now we are beginning to understand the mechanisms by which certain (ed...) vegetables like broccoli help our bodies fight cancer and other diseases."

Dr. Singh's study is based on (phy...) found in several (cru...) vegetables called isothiocyanates (ITCs), which are generated when vegetables are either cut or chewed. His laboratory has found that phenethyl-ITC, or PEITC, is highly effective in (sup...) the growth of human prostate cancer cells at concentrations (ach...) through dietary intake of cruciferous vegetables.

In (se...) to further define the mechanisms by which PEITC induces apoptosis, or programmed cell death, mice were grafted with human prostate tumors and orally administered a small (am...) of PEITC daily. After 31 days of treatment, the average tumor (vo...) in the control group that did not receive PEITC was 1.9 times higher than that of the treatment group. In addition, a pro-apoptotic protein called Bax appeared to play a role in bringing (ab...) apoptosis by PEITC.

"Our next (st...) is to design clinical trials to determine the efficacy of PEITC for prostate cancer prevention in men," said Dr. Singh.