Study Finds Broccoli Sprouts May Reduce Stomach Cancer Risk
Jacksonville – In a Japanese study, reported on in the April 6 issue of the publication Cancer Prevention Research, researchers have found that eating 2.5 ounces (70 gr) of broccoli sprouts daily appears to reduce the risk of stomach ulcers and probably stomach cancer due to a naturally-occurring chemical constituent called sulforaphane.
Sulforaphane acts on H. pylori bacteria, which is implicated in most cases of stomach ulcer. According to John Hopkins School of Medicine faculty research associate and author Jed W. Fahey, M.S., Sc.D, whose earlier research led to the Japanese study, “The highlight of the study is that we identified a food that, if eaten regularly, might potentially have an effect on the cause of a lot of gastic problems and perhaps even ultimately help prevent stomach cancer.” He goes on the explain, “Broccoli sprouts have a much higher concentration of of sulforaphane than mature heads.” It is this potent antibiotic which inhibits H. pylori infections, afflicting as much as half the world’s population and up to 90% of Japanese.
This bacterium is a carcinogen as classified by the World Health Organization, and some strains have become antibiotic-resistant so that even several courses of antibiotics may no longer cure the infection. This hearty microbe lives in the lining of the stomach and is able to thrive despite the stomach’s strong hydrochloric acid production and go on to cause much of the world’s ulcers and gastic difficulties. The link between H. pylori infection and high rates of stomach cancer in some countries has also been established by researchers.
In the Japanese study, 50 people had their H. pylori levels measured by the standard parameters, including breath, serum, and stool tests. Half the group were then given 70 grams of uncooked broccoli sprouts to eat daily, while the other half were given alfalfa sprouts. At the four week point of the eight week study, test subjects had their H. pylori levels retested, followed again by testing at the end of the eight weeks.
Findings of the tests included significantly lowered levels of H. pylori for the group eating the broccoli sprouts, along with 40% lower levels of HpSA, a specific marker of the infection found in stool samples of infected individuals. Similar findings were not found in the group eating alfalfa sprouts, which are high in anti-oxidants but which lack sulforaphane specifically. After eight weeks of not eating the broccoli sprouts, sometimes called baby broccoli, bacteria levels climbed to previous levels, indicating that ongoing consumption would be necessary to maintain the effects.
Very interesting, another reason to eat yummy broccoli sprouts.