04-06-09 RODALE NEWS, EMMAUS, PA—Eating young broccoli sprouts could disarm a common bacterial infection that sometimes leads to stomach cancer, the second most common and second most deadly cancer in the world, according to research published in the journal Cancer Prevention Research. It’s one more reason to include this veggie in your meal plan. “Broccoli has recently entered the public awareness as a preventive dietary agent,” says Jed Fahey, Sc.D, a faculty research associate in the Department of Pharmacology at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. “This study supports the emerging evidence that broccoli sprouts may be able to prevent cancer in humans, not just lab animals.”
THE DETAILS: Researchers, including Fahey, studied 48 Japanese men and women who were infected with Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori), a bacterium that’s found in nearly half the world’s population and can lead to gastritis, ulcers, and stomach cancer. Half of the study participants ate 2½ ounces of alfalfa sprouts a day, and the other half ate the same amount of broccoli sprouts daily. After 8 weeks, the group eating broccoli sprouts had significantly lower levels of H. pylori. “No one completely got rid of it, but indicators of inflammation and infection were reduced when they ate broccoli sprouts, but not after eating alfalfa sprouts,” explains Fahey. When they stopped eating the broccoli sprouts, the H. pylori returned.
WHAT IT MEANS: Broccoli sprouts, more so than mature heads of broccoli, are rich in sulforaphane, a phytochemical that shows protective effects against cancer. Higher levels of the chemical are found in the young sprouts because “the broccoli seed and sprout has to protect itself against soilborne pathogens,” says Fahey, who has been studying food’s potential to protect against cancer for 15 years. “As the plant gets older, it changes its defenses, producing less sulforaphane,” he explains. Fahey plans to research the young veggie’s effect on colorectal cancer. Its effect on H. pylori may even help with other digestive problems, such as ulcers or gastritis.
Not sure you’ve ever even seen a broccoli sprout? Here’s where to start.
• First, find them. Broccoli sprouts are widely available in supermarkets and health-food stores, but if they’re not in your store, ask the manager to carry them. They are usually just a few days old when you see them packaged at the store—and that’s when they’re ripe with cancer-fighting phytochemicals.
• Eat them regularly to protect your stomach. Eat broccoli sprouts on a regular basis. In the study, once participants stopped eating them, H. pylori levels rose again. Try tossing a small handful of raw broccoli sprouts into a salad, wrap, or sandwich every day. You can even throw them in a casserole; cooking won’t destroy the beneficial compounds.