A recent study conducted by researchers from National University of Singapore Medicine laboratory shows that eating vegetables, specifically broccoli, might prevent and even kill cancer cells that develop into colorectal cancer, reports EXPRESS. Matthew Chang, associate professor, utilized bacteria and veggies to target those cells. The study details can be found in newest release of Nature Biomedical Engineering.
Chang shares that an engineered bacteria, E. coli Nissle, often found in the stomach is used to target the cancer cells. The team made a probiotic out of the bacteria to attach itself to the cancer cells and project an enzyme found in vegetables into an anticancer agent. The cancer cells fill the agent and then are killed. This genetic technique only works for colorectal cancer cells. Through this study, it was determined that 95% of the cancer cells were killed by the probiotics and vegetable enzyme. It even reduced the size of tumors in mice with the colorectal cancer by 75%. Researchers tested the experiment with other types of cancers but they had no effect. They hope to take this data and use it as future prevention, as well as to aid during tumor removal to clean up cancer cells.
Researchers hope that patients with colorectal cancer one day can take a supplement, alongside broccoli, to prevent the cancer from progressing and even reduce any potential relapse after surgery. A big takeaway from this study is how important diet can be in our daily lives, if it can be used as a potential cure for disease, than imagine if we eat well every day to be preventative.
Chang hopes what him and his team were able to accomplish helps compliment current treatments as well as leads to other successful treatments. Who would have thought that moms were completely right about eating your vegetables? Time to go green for good.
