Dr. Mary Dan Eades
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 Glucosinates
These phytochemicals are found in cruciferous vegetables and help detoxify the liver. They also regulate white blood cells and cytokines. White blood cells scavenge the immune system while cytokines act as messengers, coordinating the activities of all immune cells. Glucosinates block enzymes that promote tumor growth, especially in the breast, liver, colon, lung, stomach, and esophagus.
Allylic Sulfides
You know these phytochemicals as garlic and onion. Leeks, shallots, and chives are also included in this category. |
Ralph Moss, PhD
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 Thus, the Roman author Cato advocated the crushed leaves of cabbage as a treatment for cancer, 2,000 years before the discovery that cruciferous vegetables, and especially cabbage, contain powerful anticancer elements. The famous ancient physician Galen worked out a comprehensive diet for cancer patients, which included poultry, vegetables, fish and red wine—all substances now known on scientific grounds to be beneficial to cancer patients.
When vitamins were discovered a century or so ago there was considerable interest in trying them out in cancer. |
Patrick Quillin, PhD,RD,CNS
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 Among the phytochemicals in cruciferous vegetables that have been researched, sulforaphane is one of the more promising as a cancer fighter. It was Professor Lee Wattenburg of Minnesota who found that cabbage extract has the ability to prevent the initiation and promotion of cancer cells. |
| Data collected by the United States Department of Agriculture from over 11,000 Americans showed that on any given day: -41 percent did not eat any fruit -82 percent did not eat cruciferous vegetables -72 percent did not eat vitamin C-rich fruits or vegetables -80 percent did not eat vitamin A-rich fruits or vegetables -84 percent did not eat high fiber grain food, like bread or cereal3 The human body is incredibly resilient, which sometimes works to our disadvantage. No one dies on the first cigarette inhaled, or the first drunken evening, or the first decade of unhealthy eating. |
John Boik
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 Orally administered indoles from cruciferous vegetables prevent the development of multidrug resistance in chemotherapy-treated mice (Christensen and Le-Blanc, 1996).
Some non-nutrient factors may inhibit both carcinogenesis and the growth of established tumors. For example, ingestion of cabbage and collards decreased lung metastasis in animals injected intravenously with mammary tumor cells (Scholar et al, 1989). Limonene is another example of a non-nutrient compound that inhibits both carcinogenesis and tumor growth. |
| SUMMARY
Numerous non-nutrient dietary factors, such as those from the Allium sp. and cruciferous vegetables, may play key roles in preventing cancer. Since anticancer compounds may be widely distributed, it may be prudent for humans to maintain a diverse diet.
A number of non-nutrient dietary factors may also be useful in treating cancer. These include certain phytoestrogens, phytosterols, saponins, flavonoids, protease inhibitors, isoflavones, and lignans. |
Ralph W. Moss, Ph.D.
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 Since there is a strong association between estrogen metabolism and the incidence of breast cancer, the Rockefeller scientists also fed indoles, obtained from cruciferous vegetables such as cabbage and broccoli, to 12 healthy human volunteers for 7 days. Using three very sensitive tests, they found a decrease in harmful hormones by 50 percent during this short time of exposure. These results indicate that this compound "may provide a novel 'dietary' means for reducing cancer risk," they wrote in 1991 (4).
German scientists have modified indoles to make them into anticancer drugs. |
| And since estrogen can fuel the development of breast tumors, cruciferous vegetables might lower the risk of breast cancer. This may be one reason Asian women, who eat more cabbage, have so much less breast cancer than Western women.
"This may be the link between diet and protection against breast cancer," according to Christopher Longcope, of the University of Massachusetts Medical School in Wooster (Science News, 6/16/90.).
Brussels sprouts may also be used to help prevent, and even treat, breast cancer. |
| Frequent consumption of citrus fruits and carotene-rich and cruciferous vegetables, was also "definitely associated with a lower incidence of cancer of various types" (15).
In 1984, the American Cancer Society (ACS) decided that a large proportion of new cancer cases could be avoided if seven dietary guidelines were followed. Large-scale education programs were developed for young people, the media and the general public. These guidelines were reaffirmed in 1989 (16). |
Michael Lerner
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 In 1984, the American Cancer Society added to these recommendations: "eat more high fiber foods; include foods rich in vitamins A and C; include cruciferous vegetables; and avoid obesity."4
And in the most recent edition of Cancer: Principles and Practice of Oncologyf much of the same basic information appears as dietary guidelines from the National Cancer Institute:
1. Reduce fat to 30% of calories or less.
2. Increase fiber intake to 20 to 30 gm/day, with an upper limit of 35 gm/day.
3. Include a variety of vegetables and fruit in the daily diet.
4. Avoid obesity.
5. |
Jean Carper
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 Today the National Cancer Institute spends millions investigating the cruciferous vegetables and invites scientists to submit grants on the subject.
Dr. Wattenberg went on to decipher the elegant tricks cabbage compounds employ to defeat cancer and to reveal like potential in other common foods. As he and others show, food chemicals have plenty of chances to intervene in the long, slow cancer process with its incubation period of twenty to forty years or more. |
Nicola Reavley
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 Eating a variety of foods is also very important as no single food provides all the nutrients a person needs, and different nutrients protect against different types of cancer. cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower may have particularly beneficial effects as they contain high levels of vitamins and minerals and other phytochemicals.
Fiber
Fruit and vegetables are also high in fiber. |
Jean Carper
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| He had isolated chemicals called indoles from the cruciferous vegetables and given these to animals as a chemopreventive "hors d'oeuvre" before administering the cancer-causing chemicals. The pure cabbage compounds also proved potent antidotes to developing cancer.
The protection was impressive. Without indoles, of rats subjected to the chemical carcinogen, ninety-one percent got breast cancer; with the indoles the rate dropped as low as twenty-one percent. |
Dr. Mary Dan Eades
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| These include beta-carotene, quercetin, indoles and thiocyanates (in cruciferous vegetables), and omega-3 fatty acids. Recommendation: Eat an abundance of carrots, cantaloupe, squash, broccoli, cauliflower, onions, and tuna.
• Phytochemicals are naturally occurring substances in plants that protect the body against cancer. Cancer formation is a multi-step process, and phytochemicals block one or more of those steps. Almost every grain, legume, fruit, and vegetable has been found to contain these substances. Recommendation: Base your meals around fruits, vegetables, and grains. |
Earl Mindell
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 Corn bran
• cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower)
• Eggplant
• Evening primrose oil (Contains gamma-linolenic acid [GLA]. I'd suggest 250 mg. 1-3 times daily.)
• Evolve® (Contains tocotrienols extracted from rice bran. Recommended dosage is 1-2 25 mg. capsules daily. NOTE: Vitamin E supplements may reduce this supplement's cholesterol-lowering effect.
• Fenugreek seed (CAUTION: Do not use fenugreek during pregnancy.)
• Fiber (25-30 grams daily)
• Fish oils: EPA and DHA (omega-3 fatty acids; take up to six 1,000 mg. capsules daily. |
| Among them: beta-carotene, quercetin, indoles and iso-thiocyanatos (in cruciferous vegetables), and omega-3 fatty acids.
Since your best defense against cancer is a strong nutritional offense—be sure you put the following winning foods in your diet.
CANCER-FIGHTING FOODS TO INCREASE IN DIET
Food Carrots
Cantaloupe
Cabbage
Squash
Sweet potatoes
Papaya
Spinach
Broccoli
Brussels sprouts Bok choy Cauliflower Kale
Comments
Highest in beta-carotene; more easily absorbed when cooked. |
| Omega-3 fatty acids, magnesium, calcium; cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, cabbage, kale), celery; vitamin C, potassium (not for anyone with a kidney disorder); dong quai, Siberian ginseng. Rice, bananas, and lactobacillus acidophilus yogurt for diarrhea caused by antibiotics. Vitamins Bl and B6 can help alleviate nausea due to motion or morning sickness; ginger root capsules; Ev.Ext-33. Niacin, bioflavonoids, and standardized ginkgo biloba can help in the treatment of dizziness and queasiness due to diseases of the inner ear. |
| Food and Supplement Advice: Despite the nutritional benefits of cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, kale, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, bok choy, and others, they're not high on most people's favorite foods list. Fortunately, many of the beneficial substances in these vegetables can now be obtained in supplement form. Swallowing a pill won't provide you with fiber and all the other nutrients in fresh vegetables, but it's better than passing these health benefits by altogether. |
| I'd suggest you supplement your diet with vitamin E (200-400 IU daily) to help prevent lipid peroxidation (fats rusting in the body); avoid products containing hydrogenated oils; increase your intake of cruciferous vegetables; and switch your polyunsaturated oils for monounsaturated ones, such as olive and canola.
Are lipotropics available as supplements, and if so, what's the recommended dosage and are there any special instructions for taking them?
Lipotropics are available as supplements in tablet form. (Usually 3 tablets equal 1,000 mg.—or 1 gram of each lipotropic agent. |
Mark Stengler, N.D.
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 These carotenoids | are also found in orange and yellow types of squash.
If cruciferous vegetables including broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, and kale contain various antioxidants. (They also have cancer-preventing phytonutrients such as indoles and sulforaphane.)
If Garlic and onions have antioxidants that help prevent cancer and heart disease.
If Tomatoes are rich in the antioxidant lycopene that helps to prevent prostate cancer.
If Tea contains polyphenols, potent antiox- I idants that protect humans against can-cer and heart disease. |
| Sulforaphane
Source: cruciferous vegetables such as (broccoli, cauliflower, kale, and Brussels sprouts) Properties: detoxifies; helps balance hormones Conditions: cancer prevention
Potassium
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Jean Carper
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| Also sure to buck up the case for cabbage and its cousins is an unusually fascinating and impressive Norwegian look at precancerous signs in the colons of people who do and do not eat cruciferous vegetables. Doctors believe full-blown colon cancer erupts from small colonic growths called polyps or, in more advanced stages, called adenomas. Not all such benign growths become cancerous, but most experts agree that since the growths are the foundation of colorectal cancer, if you can eliminate the appearance or expansion of polyps, you zap the possibility of colon cancer. |
Neal Barnard, M.D.
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 This is particularly true for cruciferous vegetables (e.g., broccoli, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, cabbage), tomatoes, celery, spinach, peppers, and carrots. Cook your vegetables thoroughly, preferably by steaming or any other fat-free method. Some vegetables, such as spinach, work well pureed. If you have a juicer, try carrots, perhaps in combination with cucumbers or other vegetables. If onions or garlic give you problems, try onion or garlic powder.
It may be that certain vegetables will give you problems no matter how well you cook them. |
Earl Mindell and Hester Mundis
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 Other cruciferous vegetables that are presumed to contain indoles and isothiocyanates include bok choy, collards, kale, kohlrabi, mustard greens, rutabaga, and turnips.
Foods rich in beta-carotene are carrots, cantaloupe, squash, papaya, and sweet potatoes.
Quercetin, which may suppress malignant cells before they become tumors, is found in onions (and not destroyed by cooking).
Foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids, such as salmon, tana, and sardines, help the immune system prevent and inhibit spreading cancers. |
Arthur C. Upton, M.D.
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| On a given day, only one in five Americans eats cruciferous vegetables or fruits and vegetables high in vitamin A; only one in six eats high-fiber breads and cereals. Nearly half of all Americans eat no fruit on a given day and nearly a quarter eat no vegetables, and half the population eats red meat or nitrite-containing foods such as bacon and lunch meat daily.
Achieving the goals of the report requires a new way of thinking about food: We will have to treat meat as a condiment, with rice, beans, and pasta as the core of the meal and fruit and vegetables as staples (see Figure 17.1, p. |
Ralph W. Moss, Ph.D.
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 Following what it calls a "common sense approach," the ACS began advocating the following measures: (1) avoid obesity; (2) cut down on total fat intake; (3) eat more high-fiber foods such as whole grain cereals, fruits and vegetables; (4) include foods rich in vitamins A and C in your daily diet; (5) include cruciferous vegetables (such as cabbage, broccoli, brussel sprouts, kohlrabi and cauliflower) in your diet; (6) eat moderately of salt-cured, smoked and nitrite-cured foods; and (7) keep alcohol consumption moderate, if you do drink (ACS, 1988). |
Committee on Diet, Nutrition, and Cancer, Assembly of Life Sciences National Research Council
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 They reported similar results for vegetable consumption in general, but not for cruciferous vegetables in particular.
Bladder. In a case-control study designed like the one conducted on lung cancer, Mettlin e_t al. (1979) reported a similar inverse association of a vitamin A consumption index with bladder cancer, after controlling for coffee consumption, smoking, and occupational exposure.
Esophagus. |
Neal Barnard, M.D.
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| Their intuition has a good basis, as cruciferous vegetables and onions are common triggers for colic.
Cow's milk proteins are an even more common cause of colic, which makes life miserable for one baby in five. Milk proteins are also under investigation for their role in juvenile-onset diabetes. While human milk is perfect for newborns, cow's milk is not at all suitable for infants, unless it is modified in several ways. To support human growth, its butter fat has to be replaced with vegetable oils, its protein content is reduced, and carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals are added. |
Committee on Diet, Nutrition, and Cancer, Assembly of Life Sciences National Research Council
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| The effect, if any, of the marked increase in the consumption of cooked (and often burned) tomatoes is also unclear as is the effect of the documented decline in the consumption of fresh cabbage, since the total long-term consumption of other cruciferous vegetables (e.g., broccoli, cabbage, and kale) is impossible to calculate given the lack of accurate data on home production. However, the documented decrease in the annual per capita intake of sweet potatoes, from 11.1 kg per person during 1976 to 2. |
| Other inverse associations between consumption of fiber-containing foods and colon cancer (see Chapter 8) could also reflect different intakes of cruciferous vegetables. Graham et al. (1978) reported that a decreased risk for colon cancer was associated with frequent ingestion of raw vegetables, especially cabbage, brussels sprouts, and broccoli, in a case-control study conducted in New York State. Similar but less impressive findings were obtained for rectal cancer.
Haenszel et_ a_l. |
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