Source: Xinhua

04-07-2009 12:04

WASHINGTON, April 6 (Xinhua) -- A small, pilot study in 50 people in Japan suggests that eating two and a half ounces of broccoli sprouts daily for two months may confer some protection against a rampant stomach bug that causes gastritis, ulcers and even stomach cancer.

A small, pilot study in 50 people in Japan suggests that eating two and a half ounces of broccoli sprouts daily for two months may confer some protection against a rampant stomach bug that causes gastritis, ulcers and even stomach cancer.(File photo)

The paper of the study was published Monday in U.S. journal Cancer Prevention Research.

The study builds on earlier test-tube and mouse studies at Johns Hopkins University and elsewhere about the potential value of sulforaphane, a naturally occurring biochemical found in relative abundance in fresh broccoli sprouts.

Sulforaphane appears to trigger cells in the body, including in the gastrointestinal tract, to produce enzymes that protect against oxygen radicals, DNA-damaging chemicals, and inflammation.

Working in Japan where there is high incidence of chronic bacterium Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori)-infection, an international research team including Johns Hopkins University scientists gave 25 H. pylori-infected subjects two and a half ounces (about 71 grams) per day of broccoli sprouts for two months.

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