This week I am doing a sprout demonstration at MANNA, where I volunteer, helping to prepare meals for people with serious illnesses such as cancer, TB, HIV,AIDS, etc. Cindy Dinger, the dietitian who  organized the demo, sent me this link about broccoli sprouts that I thought I would share with you, since broccoli is one of the cruciferous vegetables that is considered yo be a cancer-fighter.  And sprouts, which I love to grow, are even more protective.

Baby Broccoli Battles Cancerous Bacteria

Source: American Inst. For Cancer Research (AICR) May 13, 2009

The bacterium Helicobacter pylori causes ulcers, gastritis and even stomach cancer. Now, an intriguing new study funded by AICR shows that a daily dose of broccoli sprouts may suppress the bacteria. Broccoli sprouts (and broccoli) are rich in sulforaphane, a compound earlier identified by the same researchers as a potent antibiotic against H. pylori.

Published in Cancer Prevention Research, the study randomly assigned 48 H. pylori-infected patients to eat a daily dose of broccoli sprouts or alfalfa. The broccoli sprouts delivered the same amount of sulforaphane as about 2 to 3 servings of broccoli: Alfalfa does not contain sulforaphane. After 8 weeks, the broccoli-sprout group showed a significant decrease in the measures of H. pylori. There was no sign of change in the alfalfa-eating group. Two months after people stopped eating broccoli sprouts, signs of the bacterium increased to previous levels.

In the same report, the scientists also show that when H. pylori-infected mice drank a broccoli-sprout-infused water for eight weeks, there was a significant increase in the activity of two compounds that protect cells against oxidative damage. The number of H. pylori in the mice’s stomachs decreased in the broccoli sprout water-sipping mice, but it did not change in the mice that drank plain water.

Together, the authors note, the studies suggest that sulforaphane-rich broccoli sprouts hold promise to fight H. pylori both directly and indirectly by protect against stomach cancer.

http://www.aicr.org/site/News2?page=NewsArticle&id=15171&news_iv_ctrl=2302 – top

These are my sunflower greens, not broccoli sprouts.  These are grown in soil, not in jars, but I did not have broccoli sprouts on hand, so this is a healthy stand-in.

This entry was posted on Monday, October 26th, 2009 at 2:40 pm and is filed under Health Flashes. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.