UK Scientists
say watercress is the new super food, able to prevent certain
types of cancer. According to a study published this week in The British
Journal of Nutrition, the consumption of a three ounce portion of watercress reduced the
presence of a key tumour growth factor six to eight hours after eating
the watercress in healthy patients who had previously been treated
for breast cancer.
The study was conducted
by the Cancer Research Centre at the School of Medicine, Southampton
General Hospital in the United Kingdom and concluded watercress is
as therapeutic as traditional drug treatments with tamoxifen & herceptin,
commonly used chemotherapy drugs.
The study also said
that through regular consumption, watercress" has the potential to
confer valuable protection against cancer in general.
" "Watercress has
the ability to turn off HIF1, a signal sent out by cells calling for
blood supply," said noted aging scientist Dr. Nicholas Perricone.
When HIF1 becomes
incorrectly regulated, otherwise harmless precancerous clusters of cells have
the opportunity to grow to form invasive tumours. "Scientists have
been looking for anti-angiogenesis agents for years because if
we can turn off the blood supply, we can kill the cancer," said
Perricone. "And it looks like watercress can do that."
Another study
published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition in
February of 2007 showed that, in addition to reducing DNA damage, a daily
dose of watercress increased the ability of cells to further resist DNA
damage that may be caused by free radicals.
In the study, 60
men and women, half of whom were smokers, consumed their usual diet plus 85-grams of
raw watercress daily for 8-weeks. Blood samples were
analyzed for plasma antioxidant status and DNA damage in lymphocytes, a
type of white blood cell.
Watercress consumption
significantly reduced lymphocyte DNA damage. In the time of the
Romans, Greeks and Persians watercress was used as a
natural medicine, prescribed for migraines, anaemia, eczema, kidney and liver
disorder and tuberculosis(TB).
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