Cruciferous Vegetables and Human Breast Cancer: An Important Interdisciplinary Hypothesis in the Field of Diet and Cancer - Statistical Data Included

Family Economics and Nutrition Review, Fall, 1999 by Ron Jevning, Mark Biedebach, Rajen Anand

General principles of the hypothesized beneficial linkage between crucifers and breast cancer may also be relevant to other diets or dietary aspects. Therefore, the central role of estrogen suggests that a fiber-rich diet may be protective, because dietary fiber increases removal and decreases reabsorption of stool estrogen. This biologic rationale complements some epidemiologic evidence that fiber is important, although epidemiologic assessment has been compromised by scarcity of data on the fiber content of individual foods (25). Similarly, suggestive data, indicating protection for a soy diet, have a biologic rationale in the ability of soy isoflavones to interfere with estrogen receptors (18). Finally, selection for future evaluation from the enormous number of phytochemical possibilities can be guided, in part, by knowledge of which chemicals affect estrogen content or biochemistry.

The possible cruciferous vegetable and estrogen linkage exemplifies how more sound and more specific guidance can result from combining pieces of the dietary puzzle from a variety of scientific disciplines. While we focused on only breast cancer here, the possible linkage between cruciferous vegetables and estrogen may have far wider significance for other diets and other cancers, because the principles discussed here are generally applicable.

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[1] "Epidemiological" refers to the study of diseases within particular groups or populations.

[2] Estrogen is a steroid hormone that acts during the menstural cycle to prepare the uterine and mammary tissues for possible pregnancy.

[3] Among these types of vegetables are cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, and Brussels sprouts.

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