Broccoli: You either love it or hate it. I, of course, fall into both categories. If it’s baked or steamed and is reasonably tender, I like it a lot. If it’s grilled, I hate it. In fact, I hate ALL grilled veggies. To me, veggies should be eaten either raw or cooked. Grilled is neither, and I’m not afraid to say that in light of all of the kind words nutritionists spout about this cruciferous green vegetable.
Curiously, all of our four kids like broccoli and, for this reason, whenever we have one of our famous birthday dinner parties, that’s the vegetable du jour. Always. Well, occasionally we slip in a large chafing dish of green beans, a reasonably close second choice.
However you like your broccoli, meanwhile, there is interesting new information explaining why people should be eating it –– in the form of your choice, naturally –– and how this protection process really works.
Scientists are reporting discovery of a potential biochemical basis for the apparent cancer-fighting ability of broccoli and its veggie cousins. They found for the first time that certain substances in the vegetables appear to target and block a defective gene associated with cancer. Their report, which could lead to new strategies for preventing and treating cancer, appears in ACS’ Journal of Medicinal Chemistry.
Fung-Lung Chung and colleagues showed in previous experiments that substances called isothiocyanates (or ITCs) — found in broccoli, cauliflower, watercress, and other cruciferous vegetables — appear to stop the growth of cancer. But nobody knew exactly how these substances work, a key to developing improved strategies for fighting cancer in humans.
The tumor suppressor gene p53 appears to play a key role in keeping cells healthy and preventing them from starting the abnormal growth that is a hallmark of cancer. When mutated, p53 does not offer that protection, and those mutations occur in half of all human cancers. ITCs might work by targeting this gene, the report suggests.
To learn more, go to broccoli.
Image courtesy of iStock
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The American Chemical Society's Office of Public Affairs' new pressroom blog highlights prominent research from ACS' 41 journals. It includes daily commentary on the latest news from ACS' weekly PressPac, including video and audio segments from researchers on topics covering chemistry and related sciences. The blog also covers updates on ACS' awards, the national meetings and other general news from the world's largest scientific society.
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