Cancer has been, and continues to be, the devastating condition that has taken the lives of many people. For years, people have been looking for ways to defeat this common enemy. Scientists have developed many drugs such as tamoxifen that aid in the battle against cancer. Now a perfectly natural way to help prevent and fight against cancer, specifically breast cancer and reproductive-tract malignancies, has been found. Your grandmother was right when she told you to eat those vegetables to help you grow up to be healthy and strong. It has been proven that a good healthy diet containing cruciferous, or cabbage-like vegetables can help prevent and fight against breast cancer. .
The odds of getting cancer have become too shocking to ignore. Statistics show that one out of every eight women will develop the disease of breast cancer. Ever since "the war on cancer was declared" the number of women that have died from breast cancer has exceeded the number of Americans that died in both of the World Wars. When looking to find a cure for something, the root of the problem must be found. Estrogen is a hormone that increases the risk and fuels the growth of breast cancer and reproductive tract malignancies. (Smart Publications, 2001).
Drugs such as tamoxifen have been developed to work against the cancer-fueling hormone, estrogen. Another thing that has been used to help prevent breast cancer is the supplement melatonin. Tamoxifen works by blocking the estrogen receptors much like melatonin. However, melatonin also directly hinders breast cancer cell reproduction and increases the production of immune components that kill metastasized cancer cells. (LE Magazine, 1999).
A phytonutrient called indole-3-carbinol, found in cruciferous vegetables, including broccoli, cauliflower, kale, and brussels sprouts, works much like tamoxifen and melatonin. Indole-3-carbinol, also referred to as I3C, is an indole group of sulfur compounds that attach to chemical carcinogens and stimulates enzymes that detoxify the carcinogens.
