Researchers led by a New Zealand scientists have found evidence that members of the cabbage family can decrease the incidence of bladder cancer.

An international team of researchers led by AgResearch senior scientist Dr Rex Munday has discovered that an extract of broccoli sprouts can halve the incidence of bladder cancer in an animal model.


Collaborating with Dr Munday on the project were researchers from the Roswell Park Cancer Institute (USA), Johns Hopkins University (USA), Massey University and Crop & Food Research (NZ).

In an earlier study supported by the Waikato Medical Research Foundation, the researchers found that rats fed with vegetables of the cabbage family, such as broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts and watercress, showed an increase in tissue enzymes that protect against chemicals that cause cancer.

"The greatest effect was seen in the bladder, suggesting that such vegetables would protect against bladder cancer," says Dr Munday.

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