A chemical in vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage, as well as another one found in soy, can increase DNA repair in cells. This could prevent them from becoming cancerous.
Links have already been established between eating certain vegetables and a reduction in cancer risk. These findings suggest a mechanism for why that might be the case.
Vegetables such as broccoli contain a compound called I3C, and one called genistein is present in soy beans.
These two chemicals increase the amount of BRCA proteins present in cells. These proteins prevent damaged genetic material from being passed from one generation of cells to the next.
Cancer cells typically contain low amounts of BRCA proteins, and faulty BRCA signaling heightens one's risk of some cancers, including prostate, breast and ovarian.
