Studies Point to Anticancer Potential of Broccoli Sprouts A chemical in broccoli sprouts may be able to prevent two very different cancers, according to the results of studies presented last week at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) "Frontiers in Cancer Prevention Research" meeting. Researchers from Japan reported that people infected with the bacteria H. pylori - which has been associated in several studies with gastric cancer - and who ate the sprouts daily for 2 months had reduced levels of H. pylori and pepsinogen (a biomarker of gastritis), compared with those who ate alfalfa sprouts for the same period. While they are virtually identical chemically, broccoli sprouts contain high levels of sulforaphane, while alfalfa sprouts contain none. Two months after the study ended, subjects in the broccoli sprout group saw their H. pylori and pepsinogen levels return to baseline. The researchers attributed the broccoli sprouts' benefit to the protective effect of sulforaphane against cell DNA damage. To confirm whether the sprouts do indeed have an anticancer effect, the study's leader, Dr. Akinori Yanaka, said during a news conference that his lab hopes to test the intervention over a longer period to see if it can prevent gastric cancer recurrence in those at high risk. Also at the AACR meeting, researchers from Johns Hopkins University reported that, in a mouse model of UV-light-induced melanoma, sulforaphane extract applied to the skin significantly reduced the risk of cancerous skin tumors. All of the control mice developed cancerous skin tumors, whereas only half of the mice who received a high dose of the extract did. The high-dose mice that developed tumors had their tumor burden reduced by half. Our source: NCI Cancer Bulletin, Nov 8, 2005 Remember we are NOT Doctors and have NO medical training. This site is like an Encylopedia - there are many pages, many links on many topics. Support our work with any size DONATION - see left side of any page - for how to donate. You can help raise awareness of CAM.