Cruciferous Vegetables: Cancer Protective Mechanisms of Glucosinolate Hydrolysis Products and Selenium
Open Access
- 1 March 2004
- journal article
- review article
- Published by SAGE Publications in Integrative Cancer Therapies
- Vol. 3 (1), 5-12
- https://doi.org/10.1177/1534735403261831
Abstract
Dietetic professionals urge Americans to increase fruit and vegetable intakes. The American Institute of Cancer Research estimates that if the only dietary change made was to increase the daily intake of fruits and vegetables to 5 servings per day, cancer rates could decline by as much as 20%. Among the reasons cited for this health benefit are that fruits and vegetables are excellent sources of fiber, vitamins, and minerals. They also contain nonnutritive components that may provide substantial health benefits beyond basic nutrition. Examples of the latter are the glucosinolate hydrolysis products, sulforaphane, and indole-3-carbinol. Epidemiological studies provide evidence that the consumption of cruciferous vegetables protects against cancer more effectively than the total intake of fruits and vegetables. This review describes the anticarcinogenic bioactivities of glucosinolate hydrolysis products, the mineral selenium derived from crucifers, and the mechanisms by which they protect against cancer. These mechanisms include altered estrogen metabolism, protection against reactive oxygen species, altered detoxification by induction of phase II enzymes, decreased carcinogen activation by inhibition of phase I enzymes, and slowed tumor growth and induction of apoptosis.Keywords
This publication has 59 references indexed in Scilit:
- Applying Science to Changing Dietary PatternsJournal of Nutrition, 2001
- Selenium from High Selenium Broccoli Protects Rats from Colon CancerJournal of Nutrition, 2000
- Fruit and Vegetable Intakes and Prostate Cancer RiskJNCI Journal of the National Cancer Institute, 2000
- Effect of vegetable and carotenoid consumption on aberrant crypt multiplicity, a surrogate end-point marker for colorectal cancer in azoxymethane-induced ratsCarcinogenesis: Integrative Cancer Research, 1999
- Fruit and Vegetable Intake and Incidence of Bladder Cancer in a Male Prospective CohortJNCI Journal of the National Cancer Institute, 1999
- Variation of Glucosinolates in Vegetable Crops of Brassica oleraceaJournal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 1999
- Dietary quercetin glycosides: antioxidant activity and induction of the anticarcinogenic phase II marker enzyme quinone reductase in Hepalclc7 cellsCarcinogenesis: Integrative Cancer Research, 1996
- Alterations of the hepatic xenobiotic-metabolizing enzymes by a glucosinolate-rich diet in germ-free rats: influence of a pre-induction with phenobarbitalBritish Journal of Nutrition, 1993
- Glucosinolates and their breakdown products in food and food plantsC R C Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition, 1983
- Distribution of thioglucosides in different parts of Brassica plantsPhytochemistry, 1967