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Vegetable Extract Prevents Cervical Cancer By Jeremy Appleton, ND Healthnotes Newswire (September 7, 2000)An extract from broccoli and other cruciferous vegetables may reverse precancerous changes of the cervix, according to a trial published in the August edition of Gynecologic Oncology. Effects of the extract, known as indole-3-carbinol (I3C), were compared with placebo effect in a clinical trial involving 30 women with proven precancerous changes of the uterine cervix (known as cervical intraepithelial neoplasia, or CIN).1 Participants were given 200 mg per day of I3C, 400 mg per day of I3C, or placebo for 12 weeks. Any woman with persistent CIN at the end of the study period was treated with an electrosurgical procedure to remove the abnormal tissue. After 12 weeks of I3C supplementation, half of the women taking 200 mg per day of I3C and 44% of the women taking 400 mg per day of I3C experienced complete regression of CIN. No woman taking placebo experienced complete regression of CIN. These results add to those of earlier trials in which I3C supplementation has shown promise as a potential preventive agent against breast cancer2 and recurrent respiratory papillomatosis3 (a benign lung condition which, like most cases of CIN, is caused by the human papilloma virus, or HPV). I3C has previously demonstrated protective effects against cervical cancer in test tube studies.4 Most studies have reported protective effects of I3C against several experimental cancers in animals.5 6 7 8 9 10 11 However, in certain circumstances, some animal studies provide evidence of cancer-promoting properties.12 13 14 15 16 Scientists are not concerned about possible cancer-promoting effects resulting from consumption of cruciferous vegetables because most reports find that people who eat the most of these foods have lower cancer risks compared with other people. However, most people would find it difficult or impossible to eat a quantity of cruciferous vegetables sufficient to provide the amounts of I3C used in clinical trials. Use of supplemental I3C is still considered experimental, and its long-term safety and efficacy are unknown. Cruciferous vegetables, including cabbage, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, bok choy, and broccoli, have been cultivated since antiquity as medicinal plants. The Roman statesman Cato the Elder (234149 BC) was the first to record the word Brassica in reference to these plants (they all belong to the same family, known as Brassicaciae). In his treatise on medicine, he wrote, If a cancerous ulcer appears upon the breasts, apply a crushed cabbage leaf and it will make it well. Crushing cruciferous vegetables is now known to liberate an enzyme that activates natural anticancer agents in the plants, including I3C. Current research suggests that I3C alters the way in which the liver processes hormones, like estrogen, and environmental toxins.17 18 19 20 Indole-3-carbinol, which occurs in the highest amounts in broccoli and cauliflower, is one of four cruciferous vegetable derivatives currently being investigated for anticancer activity. The others, which have little published clinical data, are diindolylmethane (DIM) from Brussels sprouts, sulforaphane from broccoli sprouts, and phenethyl isothiocyanate (PEITC) from watercress. CIN, also called cervical dysplasia, is a condition that can lead to cervical cancer. The vast majority of cases are caused by HPV. CIN can be detected by a Pap smear. Women should get regular, annual Pap smears once they become sexually active. Most women should continue to have a yearly Pap smear unless otherwise directed by their gynecologist. References: 1. Bell MC,
Crowley-Nowick P, Bradlow HL, et al. Placebo-controlled trial on
indole-3-carbinol in the treatment of CIN. Gynecologic Oncol
2000;78:1239. |
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