For many decades, science has been focused on understanding the
mechanisms of disease so that drugs could be developed. But the
closer they look at disease, the more they discover the
powerful and protective nature of whole foods.
 
In a new study published in the "British Journal of
Cancer" and by the journal "Nature" the researchers show that in
laboratory tests, a compound called indole-3-carinol (I3C), found
in broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage, and a chemical called
genistein, found in soy beans, can increase the levels of two
specific proteins that repair damaged DNA.
 
This study is one of the first to provide a molecular explanation
as to how eating vegetables could cut the risk of developing
cancer, an association that some population studies have found,
says the study's senior author, Eliot M. Rosen, MD, PhD,
professor of oncology, cell biology, and radiation medicine at
Georgetown 's Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center . "It is now
clear that the function of crucial cancer genes can be influenced
by compounds in the things we eat," Rosen says.
 
"Our findings suggest a clear molecular process that would
explain the connection between diet and cancer prevention."
In this study, Rosen exposed breast and prostate cancer cells
to increasing doses of I3C and genistein, and found that
these chemicals boosted production of the repair proteins
BRCA1 and BRCA2.
 
Since decreased amounts of the BRCA proteins are seen in cancer
cells, higher levels might prevent cancer from developing, Rosen
speculates, adding that the ability of I3C and genistein to
increase production of BRCA proteins could explain their
protective effects. 

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