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Posted on Mar 16, 2012, 6 a.m.
Sulforaphane, a compound found in broccoli and other cruciferous vegetables, helps to restore a balance in intracellular processes, beneficially impacting the genetics behind cancer.
Found abundantly in cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, sulforaphane is a compound for which previous studies have shown a cancer fighting effect. Specifically, sulforaphane inhibits histone deacetylases, (HDACs), thereby interfering with the cellular triggers for cancer. Scientists from Oregon State University (Oregon, USA) studied the effect of sulforaphane on prostate cancer cells, and revealed that DNA methylation appears to also contribute to the cancer process. Whereas DNA methylation is a normal process of turning off genes, helping to control what DNA material is utilized in intracellular communications, the process is disrupted in cancer cells. Showing that sulforaphane helps to restore a balance in DNA methylation, the study authors conclude that: "dietary phytochemicals that affect the epigenome also can trigger DNA damage and repair mechanisms.”
Praveen Rajendran, Emily Ho, David E Williams, Roderick H Dashwood. “Dietary phytochemicals, HDAC inhibition, and DNA damage/repair defects in cancer cells.” Clinical Epigenetics 2011, 3:4.
