Cauliflower, also called Brassica oleracea botrytis, is a leafy garden plant with significant nutrient value. There is new evidence suggesting that phytonutrients found in cauliflower can help prevent colon cancer. These compounds increase the activity of certain enzymes in the body that disable or eliminate cancer-causing agents from the body, according to the Oregon State University.
Apoptosis
The organo-sulfur compounds derived from cauliflower may have significant antiproliferatory action against human colon cancer, according to the Hamilton College. Cauliflower contains high amounts of sinigrin that is converted into isothiocyanates such as sulforaphane with the help of the enzyme called myrosinase. Results from these experiments also suggest that sulforaphane induces apoptosis or programmed cell death in colon cancer cells. Another sulfur compound in cauliflower, diallyl-disulfide, has been found to inhibit mitosis cell division. This in turn inhibits cancer cell proliferation, according to Alana Pudalo, an investigator of these studies.
Dietary Fiber
Cauliflower is a good source of dietary fiber, a variety of plant carbohydrate that humans cannot digest. Dietary fiber has long been believed to reduce the risk of colon cancer. Based on an article written by J. Anderson, a nutritionist at Colorado State University Extension and others, dietary fiber increases stool bulk and stool water, speeding intestinal transit of ingesta and therefore decreasing mucosal contact with fecal carcinogens that might otherwise promote colon cancer.
Detoxification
Researchers from the Masonic Cancer Center suggest that many enzymes found in cauliflower help detoxify or cleanse cancer-causing agents, or carcinogens, to prevent colon cancer. These enzymes work by changing a harmful substance into a safer form, according to Chengguo Xing, Ph.D., an assistant professor of medicinal chemistry at University of Minnesota.
Glucosinolates
Cauliflower contains substantial amounts of glucosinolates. Animal studies conducted by researchers at at Oregon State University have demonstrated that glucosinolates have cancer chemopreventive activity against colon cancer. These chemicals may exert a protective mechanism against colon cancer through elimination of carcinogens or by altering cell-signaling pathways that promote the transformation of healthy cells to cancerous ones.
References
- Hamilton College: Cabbage, Cauliflower and Kale; Alana Pudalov and Jinquan Liang
- Colorado State University Extension: Dietary Fiber; J. Anderson, et al.; January 10, 2011
- University of Minnesota: Preventing Obesity in the Worksite: A Multi-Message, Multi-"Step" Approach; Chengguo Xing
- Oregon State University: Linus Pauling Institute; Cauliflower; Jane Higdon; 2005
