Wellington - A diet high in vegetables like cabbage could protect against bladder cancer, a New Zealand scientist who led a team of researchers into the subject reported on Tuesday.
Agricultural scientist Rex Munday said tests on animals showed that an extract of broccoli sprouts reduced the incidence of bladder cancer by more than 50 per cent.
He said researchers from Roswell Park Cancer Institute and Johns Hopkins University, in the United States, had worked on the project with New Zealand's Massey University and Crop & Food Research.
The findings supported an earlier study showing that rats fed with vegetables of the cabbage family, such as broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts and watercress, showed an increase in tissue enzymes that protect against cancer-causing chemicals.
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"The greatest effect was seen in the bladder, suggesting that such vegetables would protect against bladder cancer," Munday said.
"This result is consistent with epidemiological studies showing that people who have a high dietary intake of plants of the cabbage family are less likely to develop bladder cancer than those who eat only small amounts of these vegetables."
Munday said bladder cancer was a major problem, particularly in Western countries, being diagnosed in more than 300 000 people every year worldwide.
It is the fourth commonest cancer in men and the eighth in women.
The researchers are now working on other vegetables to find more effective materials that could prevent bladder cancer. - Sapa-dpa
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