Can consuming certain foods prevent cancer?
Years of animal studies and human observational data suggest that consuming watercress and cruciferous vegetables can reduce the risk of lung cancer. Scientists have even identified the chemical PEITC (2-phenethyl isothiocyanate), found in abundance in watercress, to be the potent force that detoxifies NNK, a carcinogen in tobacco smoke linked to cancer in humans. Studies suggest, though, that PEITC appears to protect only smokers with a particular genetic make-up. SPH associate professor Jian-Min Yuan is leading the first randomized clinical trial to study whether dietary supplements loaded with PEITC help prevent lung cancer in humans. During the year-long study, Yuan aims to determine the mechanisms by which PEITC works—and to examine the effects of PEITC supplementation on the metabolism of NNK in smokers who have different genotypes. Yuan hopes to extend his study to other foods and other types of cancer. “Most cancer epidemiologists focus on the cause of the disease,” he says.
