Eating your broccoli comes with yet another added benefit: fighting cancer.
Studies have uncovered a powerful molecule in the cruciferous vegetable that deactivates the gene responsible for cancerous tumor growth, known as WWP1.
Dr. Pier Paolo Pandolfi, who led the study, said that discovery has the potential to pave the way for new cancer treatment.
“I’ve been bombarded by journalists — because of the broccoli connection, let’s be honest. Forget what you think about the science, the fact that [we found] something that your grandma would say [is] good for you, it’s appealing,” Pandolfi told the Harvard Gazette.
That being said, to really reap the benefits, a person would have to consume nearly six pounds of uncooked broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, kale, or Brussel sprouts every day, but the discovery could lead to unlocking one of the most important tumor suppressors in the history of cancer genetics, and that is huge.
Now, the team is working on discovering a more practical way to prove I3C to cancer patients and trigger tumor-suppressing properties in PTEN.