X-Message-Number: 30761
Date: Sat, 24 May 2008 10:31:36 -0700 (PDT)
From: 
Subject: the case for increased broccoli consumption II

[Sulforaphane also might be responsible for some of the anticancer effect of
broccoli.]

Carcinogenesis. 2006 Oct;27(10):2038-46. Epub 2006 May 4.
Cancer chemoprevention of intestinal polyposis in ApcMin/+ mice by
sulforaphane, a natural product derived from cruciferous vegetable.
    Hu R, Khor TO, Shen G, Jeong WS, Hebbar V, Chen C, Xu C, Reddy B, Chada
K, Kong AN. Department of Pharmaceutics, Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy,
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA.
    Sulforaphane (SFN) is an isothiocyanate that is present abundantly in
widely consumed cruciferous vegetables and has a particularly high content
in broccoli and cauliflower. It has been shown to be an effective inhibitor
of some carcinogen-induced cancers in rodents. Here, we investigated the
chemopreventive efficacy of SFN in the ApcMin/+ mouse model. ApcMin/+ mice
were fed with diet supplemented with two different dose levels of SFN (300
and 600 p.p.m.) for 3 weeks. Our results clearly demonstrated that ApcMin/+
mice fed with SFN-supplemented diet developed significantly less and smaller
polyps with higher apoptotic and lower proliferative indices in their small
intestine, in a SFN dose-dependent manner. In addition, immunohistochemical
(IHC) staining of the adenomas indicated that SFN significantly suppressed
the expression of phosphorylated c-Jun N-terminal kinase (p-JNK),
phosphorylated extracellular signal-regulated kinases (p-ERK) and
phosphorylated-Akt (p-Akt), which were found to be highly expressed in the
adenomas of ApcMin/+ mice. In contrast, expression of two important
biomarkers of the Wnt signaling pathway, beta-catenin and cyclin-D1 was
unaffected by SFN treatment. Measurement of SFN and its metabolite SFN-GSH
in the small intestine using LC-MS indicates that the concentrations between
3 and 30 nmol/g are required to prevent, or retard adenoma formation in the
gastrointestinal tract of ApcMin/+ mice.
PMID: 16675473

[snip> "unusual phytotherapeutic role of broccoli is for skin diseases--the
juice of the leaves is used to treat warts"]

J Pharm Biomed Anal. 2006 Aug 28;41(5):1508-22. Epub 2006 May 19.
Chemical and biological characterisation of nutraceutical compounds of
broccoli.
    Moreno DA, Carvajal M, L pez-Berenguer C, Garc a-Viguera C. Dept.
Ciencia y Tecnolog a de Alimentos and Dept. Nutrici n Vegetal, CEBAS-CSIC,
Apdo 164, 30100 Espinardo, Murcia, Spain.
    People's diet offers a greater and more diverse group of plant
bioactives than do drugs, and they often do not realise that many drugs are
derived from the compounds originally discovered in plant foods. Numerous
epidemiological studies indicate that Brassica vegetables in general, and
broccoli in particular, protect humans against cancer since they are rich
sources of glucosinolates as well as possessing a high content of
flavonoids, vitamins and mineral nutrients. One unusual phytotherapeutic
role of broccoli is for skin diseases--the juice of the leaves is used to
treat warts. However, the main use of broccoli stems from its
health-promoting properties. Some criteria have been proposed to evaluate
the possibilities of developing new "functional foods" to reduce the risk of
specific cancers; largely in broccoli, which is associated with cancer
protection. Processing conditions, transport, domestic cooking, etc., affect
the health-promoting properties of broccoli and these have been widely
studied. This review makes an in-depth study of the chemical and biological
characterization of the phytochemicals of broccoli and the effects on the
bioactive composition of broccoli.
PMID: 16713696

[Broccoli consumption is associated with a 25-30% lower risk of
cardiovascular disease.]

Am J Clin Nutr. 2003 Jun;77(6):1400-8.
Comment in: Am J Clin Nutr. 2004 Mar;79(3):522-3; author reply 523.
Flavonoid intake and the risk of cardiovascular disease in women.
    Sesso HD, Gaziano JM, Liu S, Buring JE. Division of Preventive Medicine,
Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical
School, Boston, MA 02215, USA.
    BACKGROUND: Despite emerging evidence of the role of flavonoids in
cardiovascular disease (CVD) prevention, the association remains unclear.
OBJECTIVE: We examined whether flavonoids and selected flavonols and
flavones or their food sources are associated with CVD risk. DESIGN: Women
(n = 38 445) free of CVD and cancer participated in a prospective study with
a mean follow-up of 6.9 y. On the basis of a food-frequency questionnaire,
total flavonoids and selected flavonols and flavones were categorized into
quintiles, and food sources were categorized into 4 groups. Relative risks
were computed for important vascular events (519 events; excluding
revascularizations) and CVD (729 events), including myocardial infarction,
stroke, revascularization, and CVD death. RESULTS: The mean flavonoid intake
was 24.6 +/- 18.5 mg/d, primarily as quercetin (70.2%). For both CVD and
important vascular events, no significant linear trend was observed across
quintiles of flavonoid intake (P = 0.63 and 0.80, respectively). No
individual flavonol or flavone was associated with CVD. Broccoli and apple
consumption were associated with nonsignificant reductions in CVD risk:
25-30% and 13-22%, respectively. A small proportion of women (n = 1185)
consuming > or =4 cups (946 mL) tea/d had a reduction in the risk of
important vascular events but with a nonsignificant linear trend (P = 0.07).
CONCLUSIONS: Flavonoid intake was not strongly associated with a reduced
risk of CVD. The nonsignificant inverse associations for broccoli, apples,
and tea with CVD were not mediated by flavonoids and warrant further study.
PMID: 12791616

[snip> "only broccoli was strongly associated with reduced risk of CHD
death"]

Am J Epidemiol. 1999 May 15;149(10):943-9.
Erratum in: Am J Epidemiol 1999 Aug 15;150(4):432.
Comment in: Am J Epidemiol. 2000 Mar 15;151(6):634-5.
Dietary flavonoid intake and risk of cardiovascular disease in
postmenopausal women.
    Yochum L, Kushi LH, Meyer K, Folsom AR. Division of Epidemiology,
University of Minnesota, Minneapolis 55105, USA.
    Flavonoids, a group of phenolic compounds found in fruits and
vegetables, are known to have antioxidant properties. They prevent low
density lipoprotein oxidation in vitro and thus may play a role in the
prevention of coronary heart disease (CHD). In 1986, in a prospective study
of 34,492 postmenopausal women in Iowa, the authors examined the association
of flavonoid intake with CHD and stroke mortality. Over 10 years of
follow-up, 438 deaths from CHD and 131 deaths from stroke were documented.
Total flavonoid intake was associated with a decreased risk of CHD death
after adjusting for age and energy intake (p for trend = 0.04). This
association was attenuated after multivariate adjustment. However, decreased
risk was seen in each category of intake compared with the lowest. Relative
risks and 95% confidence intervals of CHD death from lowest to highest
intake category were 1.0, 0.67 (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.49-0.92),
0.56 (95% CI 0.39-0.79), 0.86 (95% CI 0.63-1.18), and 0.62 (95% CI
0.44-0.87).There was no association between total flavonoid intake and
stroke mortality (p for trend = 0.83). Of the foods that contributed the
most to flavonoid intake in this cohort, only broccoli was strongly
associated with reduced risk of CHD death. The data of this study suggest
that flavonoid intake may reduce risk of death from CHD in postmenopausal
women.
PMID: 10342803

Proc Soc Exp Biol Med. 1959 Feb;100(2):405-7.
Reduction of x-radiation mortality by cabbage and broccoli.
    SPECTOR H, CALLOWAY DH.
PMID: 13634154

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