Have you ever heard of eating foods of each color of the rainbow during the day? But, if your family has history with cancers, you will like to have one particular color in your meal: the green one.
Cruciferous veggies such as cabbage and brussel sprouts aren’t too much desired by some people, but they are one of the most beneficial foods that you can ever eat. They improve your health and keep you safe from cancer.
Broccoli and watercress are part of this group and mustn’t be ignored.
How They Fight Cancer
This food is loaded with some beneficial compounds such as glucosinolates, which contain sulfur. These compounds are responsible for the potent odor and flavor of these vegetables.
While chewing the food, bio-available compounds such as indole-3-carbinol (an indole) and sulforaphane (an isothiocyanate), which keep the cells from DNA damage that automatically prevents cancer. These compounds also diminish the inflammation and stimulate apoptosis in cancer cells.
They also disable the development of blood vessel in tumors and their expand on other organs. These compounds were applied into mice and were very successful in healing breast, colon, bladder, liver, lung and stomach cancers and improved melanoma as well as prostate, breast, esophageal and pancreatic cancers.
Anyway, the results in human studies confirmed that further research is necessary.
Once the indole-3-carbinol is ingested, it releases 3,3’-diindolylmetane (DIM), which prolongs the life of cancer patients.
These substances enter in the bloodstream pretty fast and immediately arrive at the place where cancer is developed. These compounds also destroy the precancerous cells.
Some people have anti-cancer properties but they need to be eaten in huge amounts to achieve the same effect as a daily portion of broccoli or watercress. Only one portion of these cruciferous vegetables will lower the DNA damage caused by free radicals. These vegetable also decrease the DNA damage in white blood cells, which are responsible to fight off diseases, including cancer.
Prof. Rowland was the main scientist in a study conducted in 2007 and he says: “Blood cell DNA harm is a sign of whole body cancer risk, and, the results support the theory that eating watercress is related with the general possibility of cancer at different parts of the body. These results are applicable to the overall population that consumes normal diet.”
Diet as A Complimentary Treatment
You may believe that chemotherapy defeats the cancer cells completely, but what you don’t know is that the stem cells from the tumor still live in the organism. These cells are able to spread to other body parts and form new tumors, increasing the risk of reoccurring of the cancer in these patients.
“These small cells are very hard for detecting in tumors,” explains Moul Dey, head of the study. “it’s like finding a needle in a haystack.”
Anyway, a team of scientists from South Dakota State University discovered that cruciferous veggies such as broccoli and cauliflower disable the cancer reappearing. Actually, they include a chemical known as phenethyl isothiocyanate, which is released while we chew the food. This substance is also included in watercress and land cress.
Phenethyl isothiocyanate is able to destroy up to 75% of the cancer stem cells in just 24 hours.
You can activate this substance by blending the vegetables in your blender, which is why the green smoothies are considered as the best anti-cancer drinks. “A little physical force is necessary to release the cells,” says professor Dey.
Other Anti-Cancer Effects
Broccoli and watercress include high concentrations of vitamin C, which penetrates into cancer cells and stimulates apoptosis. This is especially the case in the fight against colon cancer. The high amounts of fiber also have their role in the fight against digestive tract cancers by absorbing the toxic bile and removing any accumulated waste on the intestinal walls.
Moreover, cruciferous vegetables are alkaline, which means that they help your body to restore the pH balance.