INDOLE-3-CARBINOL - Here's that Lung Cancer Study

[Guest guest]

THE CANCER STUDY THAT THE MEDICAL INDUSTRY WON'T LIKE!

A compound found in broccoli may help protect against lung cancer in smokers,

according

to results of a study with mice.

Although expert advice is clearly to avoid tobacco smoke altogether, the results

suggest

smokers could benefit from upping their intake of cruciferous vegetables like

broccoli and

cauliflower that contain the compound indole-3-carbinol (I3C).

Writing in Cancer Prevention Research, scientists from the University of

Minnesota report

that mice exposed to carcinogens found in tobacco smoke and fed varying doses of

I3C

had significant reductions in the number of lung tumors.

Indeed, mice fed the highest amount of I3C had 88% fewer tumors than control

mice, with

the scientists reporting the compound appeared to act on inhibiting cell

proliferation, and

enhancing programmed cell death (apoptosis).

" These results clearly show the efficacy of I3C in the prevention of tobacco

carcinogen-

induced lung tumorigenesis in […] mice and provide a basis for future evaluation

of this

compound in clinical trials as a chemopreventive agent for current and former

smokers, "

wrote lead author Fekadu Kassie.

Kassie and co-workers exposed mice to carcinogenic compounds found in tobacco

smoke

called 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone (NNK) plus benzo(a)pyrene

(BaP).

This resulted in an average of 21 tumors per mouse after 16 weeks. However, mice

fed

diets containing 1, 10, 30, 71 and 112 micromoles per gram of I3C were found to

have

reductions in the number of tumors by 15%, 51%, 53%, 75% and 88%, respectively.

The results need to be repeated in additional studies, and supported by human

studies, if

the findings are to be applicable to humans.

Cancer Prevention Research 1:568-576, 2008