Anticancer drug isolated from green veg

A team of UK scientists have isolated the anticancer properties in Brussels sprouts and cabbage. According to data published in the October issue of the journal Carcinogenesis, a chemical in these vegetables can kill breast cancer cells when combined with common anticancer drugs.

Scientists at the UK's University of Leicester studied the effects of the compound indole-3-carbinol on tumor cells. The cells were administered with between 300mg and 400mg of this naturally-occuring compound each day until, together with common chemotherapy drugs, the tumor cells started to die.

Several epidemological studies have implicated eating vegetables and protection from cancer, but the present research is the first to examine the mechanism of this protection. Indole-3-carbinol is present in vegetables belonging to the mustard family, which includes broccoli, watercress, cauliflower and kale, though higher concentrations are found in Brussels sprouts and cabbage, the researchers noted.