Cruciferous Vegetables & Breast Health

What are Cruciferous Vegetables?

Cruciferous vegetables are part of the Brassica genus of plants. They include broccoli, kale, cabbage, cauliflower, wasabi and more. They are rich in carotenoids (beta-carotene, lutein, zeaxanthin) which is great for eye health. They also include vitamin C, E, K, folate and minerals. In addition,  they are a great source of fiber. 

In addition, cruciferous vegetables contain glucosinolates which give these vegetables a pungent aroma and bitter flavor. During food preparation, chewing, and digestion this compound breaks down to form indoles and sulforaphane which have been most frequently examined to have anticancer effects. 

What is most interesting is the consumption of cruciferous vegetables and association with reduced breast cancer risk. A case control study (PMCID: PMC5998357) compared 1491 patients with breast cancer vs 1482 controls. They studied these patients over 2 decades and concluded that patients that consumed greater amounts of cruciferous vegetables were found to have reduced breast cancer risk vs patients that consumed less. In particular the results were stronger in patients who were premenopausal. 

In addition to consuming cruciferous vegetables, there is a commercial product called DIMPRO that contains BioResponse DIM (diindolymethane complex) which is broken down to indole-3-carbinol (I3C). This product is similar to what is found naturally in cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, kale and Brussels sprouts. 

So yes, eat your broccoli, there is good science behind it. 

Reference:

1.     https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/causes-prevention/risk/diet/cruciferous-vegetables-fact-sheet. Accessed on October 8th 2020