Cruciferous vegetables are not new to the pages of Doctors Health Press publications, but here we’d like to lay out some recent breakthroughs in the world of cancer prevention. When you look at the big picture, it seems that broccoli, cauliflower, green, leafy veggies, and the like are powerful anti-tumor foods.
Breast cancer: A brand new literature review looked at the combined results of 13 studies. The numbers showed that eating a diet high in cruciferous veggies was “significantly associated with reduced breast cancer risk.” This is further proof that women can turn to this powerful veggie family for cancer protection.
Lung cancer: One 2010 case-control study found evidence supporting the notion that a diet rich in cruciferous vegetables may reduce the risk of lung cancer—among smokers.
Bladder cancer: Similarly, positive results were seen in another meta-analysis earlier this year. This one focused on bladder cancer risk. Researchers found five studies that looked at cruciferous vegetable intake and five studies to be used as a comparison. They discovered a significantly decreased risk of bladder cancer (about 20% on average) among the group that consumed cruciferous vegetables regularly. As usual, due to the limited number of studies, more studies are called for.
Prostate cancer: Interestingly, another review of studies found further evidence—this time, in prostate cancer. It had seven studies with six others for comparison. Researchers found a risk reduction for prostate cancer of about 10% among those who ate cruciferous vegetables.
Cancer in general: Let’s end with one review that looked at the overall impact of cruciferous veggies on cancer risk. Italian researchers looked at studies that included 1,468 cancers of the oral cavity/pharynx, 505 of the esophagus, 230 of the stomach, 2,390 of the colorectum, 185 of the liver, 326 of the pancreas, 852 of the larynx, 3,034 of the breast, 367 of the endometrium, 1,031 of the ovary, 1,294 of the prostate, and 767 of the kidney.
RECOMMENDED: More proof why you should eat vegetables daily.
They found that eating cruciferous vegetables at least once a week (compared to none) had a significant impact on cancer risk. Specifically, it was a reduced risk of 17% for oral cavity/pharynx, 28% for esophagus, 17% for colorectum, 17% for breast, and 32% for kidney cancer.
As you can see, this cruciferous family is a pretty important factor in your daily diet!
Sources for Today’s Articles:
The Best Vegetables to Fight Cancer
Verhoeven., D.T., et al., “Epidemiological studies on brassica vegetables and cancer risk,” Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 1996; 5(9): 733–748.
Tang, L., et al., “Cruciferous vegetable intake is inversely associated with lung cancer risk among smokers: a case-control study,” BMC Cancer April 27, 2010; 10: 162.
Liu, X., et al., “Cruciferous vegetables intake is inversely associated with risk of breast cancer: A meta-analysis,” Breast August 6, 2012. [Epub ahead of print.]
Liu, B., et al., “The association of cruciferous vegetables intake and risk of bladder cancer: a meta-analysis,” World J Urol. March 6, 2012. [Epub ahead of print.]
Liu, B., et al., “Cruciferous vegetables intake and risk of prostate cancer: a meta-analysis,” Int J Urol. February 2012; 19(2): 134–41.
Bosetti, C., et al., “Cruciferous vegetables and cancer risk in a network of case-control studies,” Ann Oncol. August 2012; 23(8): 2,198–203. [Epub February 10, 2012.]