High levels of Sulforaphane with Indole-3-Carbinol fight colon cancer cells; the amount found in food is not enough.

Indole-3-carbinol and Sulforaphane, both of which come from cabbage vegetables, inhibit the growth of cancer cell lines and cause their destruction in laboratory studies. Indole-3-Carbinol slows the growth and Sulforaphane causes the death of these cells. This study was carried out to see if their ability to fight colon cancer is improved when both constituents are used together. At the lower potency found in portions of the food the effects were not compatible and possibly even interfered with one another so it didn't work very well. However at high potency as purified isolates the combination worked synergistically to inhibit the growth of the cells and ultimately destroy them. The study is published in the current issue of the journalCarcinogenesis.