Eating a diet rich in isothiocyanates (ITC), compounds found in cruciferous vegetables may help prevent bladder cancer in humans, suggests a new study published in the May 15 issue of the International Journal of Cancer.

ITC are found in broccoli, cauliflower, kale, turnips, collards, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, radish, turnip and watercress. They are known to protect against a number of other forms of cancer.

The group of compounds has their anti-oxidant effect via down regulation of cytochrome p450 enzyme levels and induces apoptosis by activating Phase II detoxifying enzymes, according to the authors.

In the study, Zhao H. and colleagues from the Departments of Epidemiology and Urology at the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center evaluated the relationship between ITC intake and bladder cancer risk.

For the study, the researchers compared 697 patients with newly diagnosed bladder cancer with 708 healthy controls matched by age, sex, and race for their dietary habits.

Patients with bladder cancer were found to have a significantly lower median ITC intake compared with those who did not have bladder cancer.  

Those with high intake of ITC were 29 percent less likely to have bladder cancer compared with those who had low intake of ITC.

The association between intake of ITC and risk of bladder cancer was more significant in men, in patients age 64 or older and in smoker, according to the study.

The results suggest that eating cruciferous vegetables may help protect against bladder cancer.   However, it remains unknown whether bladder cancer patients may benefit from consuming cruciferous vegetables.