Sunday June 15, 2014 (foodconsumer.org) -- A Chinese study published recently in Chinese Yu Fang Journal of Medical Sciences suggests that eating broccoli may help lower risk of pancreatic cancer.

The case-control study shows that intake of cruciferous vegetables and intake of isothiocyanates, urinary levels of isothiocyanates were all significantly lower in cases of pancreatic cancer than that in controls.

For the study, researchers determined the urinary levels of isothiocyanates in 390 cases of pancreatic cancer and 414 controls living in urban Shanghai China who were also surveyed for their consumption of cruciferous vegetables and dietary exposure to isothiocyanates.

In the study, urinary levels of isothiocyanates in controls were found associated with intake of cruciferous vegetables and total dietary intake of isothiocyanates.

And urinary levels of isothiocyanates were inversely associated with risk of pancreatic cancer after adjustment for confounders such as age, sex, history of diabetes mellitus and pancreatitis.

Those whose urinary levels of isothiocyanates were among the highest tertile were found 53% less likely to develop pancreatic cancer.  Consumption of cruciferous vegetables and intake of isothiocyanates were also associated with reduced risk of pancreatic cancer.

The study suggests that "high levels of dietary ITC (isothiocyanates) exposure might reduce the risk of pancreatic cancer."  (David Liu, PHD)

Wang J, Han L, Zhang W, Wang J, Ni Q, Shen M, Gao Y.  [A case-control study on the association between urinary levels of isothiocyanates and the risk of pancreatic cancer].  Zhonghua Yu Fang Yi Xue Za Zhi. 2014 Mar;48(3):172-6.