You know how important your diet is to your overall health…
But that becomes ABUNDANTLY clear once you realize that cancer has got you in its crosshairs.
Suddenly, you’re SCRUTINIZING every bite…
And wondering whether it could PROTECT you… or open the door to this potentially devastating disease.
Walking that tightrope can be EXHAUSTING – and you might be wondering how to OPTIMIZE what you’re eating to tip the scale in your favor.
That’s why I want to talk to you about cruciferous vegetables. By now, you’ve heard plenty about how they can help beat back cancer.
But while broccoli and cabbages get all the headlines and the glory…
There’s one cruciferous cousin that’s been OVERLOOKED… despite its ENORMOUS potential!
DON’T omit this from your ‘cancer diet’
I’m talking about watercress (Nasturtium officinale).
This aquatic salad green is a little more popular in England than it is here in America…
But what I’m about to share with you should change that!
You see, watercress contains a special plant chemical that could be a cancer CRUSHER – and in more ways than one.
I’m talking about lung cancer… prostate cancer… cervical cancer… colon cancer… and more.
This chemical is derived from a sulphur-containing type of glucosinolate compound called gluconasturtiin.
Now, I’ve previously shared with you other glucosinolates that can power up your fight against cancer – including sulforaphane and sinigrin.
But the superstar substance locked inside watercress is the gluconasturtiin derivative called phenylethyl isothiocyanate (PEITC).
And though it may occur elsewhere in nature, PEITC is most abundant in watercress.
Scientists first caught wind of how PEITC could stop cancer before it starts all the way back in the late 1970s…
Yet 50 years later, nobody has bothered to spend the TIME or MONEY necessary to launch “gold standard” clinical trials on real cancer patients!
From various in vitro and in vivo animal studies, we know that PEITC helps stop cancer development in its tracks in 2 key steps:
- STOPPING a potential carcinogen from getting activated into an actual carcinogen by inhibiting phase I enzymes, such as cytochrome P450s
- BOOSTING detoxifying/antioxidant activity by activating phase II enzymes.
Now, step #1 on its own would pull the plug on potential cancer development… but it wouldn’t do a thing about any cancer that had ALREADY started to form.
That’s why you also need step #2.
According to research, the results are cell cycle arrest, which stops cancer cells from growing and multiplying… and apoptosis, the “programmed cell death” that cancer cells manage to dodge to become IMMORTAL.
Now, the approach that Big Pharma would take would be to isolate PEITC… figure out how to mass-produce a synthetic version… and unleash it on cancer patients, no matter how sick it made them.
But as is the case with many natural cancer cures, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.
Turns out scientists have found MORE powerful anti-cancer activity in whole watercress extracton its own. (More on that in a moment.)
Watercress has shown to REDUCE damage to DNA from mutagens – or factors that can cause the types of genetic mutations that could kick off cancer formation.
Not only that, but it helps your healthy cells RESIST the genetic damage caused by free radicals and radiation.
Research has shown that watercress can even SHIELD breast cancer patients’ healthy breast cells from radiation-induced damage.
And yet it can also help make breast cancer cells MORE SENSITIVE to radiation therapy.
Here’s where the case for watercress gets REALLY exciting…
Because conventional cancer treatments like radiation and chemo can KILL your cancer… and even appear to ERASE tumors… but they often leave something behind.
Cancer stem cells.
Those stem cells can make a tumor GROW BACK… and SPREAD… even after you thought you were “free and clear.”
They’re teeny-tiny cells that only make up 5% of a tumor’s total size… and are notoriously difficult to detect.
Like a needle in a haystack.
But a 2015 in vitro study showed how PEITC was able to DESTROY 75% of cervical cancer stem cells in a lab dish.
Now, you won’t find purified PEITC in supplement form on its own… but it’s commonly a component of some cruciferous compound blends.
Because watercress contains lots of other cancer-fighting compounds, look for a formula that contains whole herb extract rather than isolated PEITC.
You can also incorporate fresh watercress into your food prep, as studies have shown that dietary intake of this leafy green could be enough to reap its anti-cancer benefits.
Eat it raw to maximize your consumption of PEITC, since its levels can be reduced by as much as 60% when you cook it.
To cancer cures from across the pond,
Melissa Young
