No field of science is littered with more mis-information and bad science than food and nutrition. Every year we hear about the latest fad diet – and every few years it turns out these diets are debunked. Even worse is foods that supposedly cure/fight condition <insert favorite disease here>.

Like many things, there is an element of truth – but the efficacy is in the details. Details that are often completely ignored. What’s a good example?

There are many top-selling anti-cancer books that preach the top food with cancer fighting properties to be broccoli and other cruciferous vegetables like Brussels sprouts, arugula, cabbage, kale, and cauliflower. But the devil is in the details; and the details are fascinating in this case.

In 2019, scientists were indeed studying the natural cancer-fighting properties of the PTEN gene that controls cell growth. People with good PTEN gene function tended to have better cancer fighting properties. During the research, they found that cancer produces the enzyme WWP1 that negates the natural function of PTEN and helps the cancer grow. While analyzing the WWP1 structure, they scanned databases of existing compounds that could bind and block WWP1. One popped up in the search, I3C. I3C neutralizes the WWP1 enzyme and lets PTEN operate normally in it’s cancer fighting role. It turns out that I3C is naturally found in, you guessed it, cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, Brussels sprouts, arugula, cabbage, kale, and cauliflower.

To test this theory, they injected mice who were engineered to develop prostate cancer with I3C. They found it greatly helped the lab mice. But there is a catch.

In order to reach the effective anti-cancer dose of I3C needed in a human, a person would need to eat 6 pounds of broccoli A DAY. This is why previous studies of cruciferous vegetables had good lab results but produced mixed results in humans. It implies the right way to go about this would be to develop a pill or supplement form for more easy consumption. Additionally, I3C affects more than just the WWP1, so additional work is needed to determine doses and unintended effects of I3C supplements.

So, always be sure to check on published, peer reviewed research before embarking on your miracle cure diet.

Links:

• https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2019/05/beth-israel-researchers-uncover-anti-cancer-drug-mechanism-in-broccoli/#:~:text=They%20discovered%20that%20a%20naturally,engineered%20to%20develop%20prostate%20cancer.