Cruciferous Vegetables Linked to Boost in Cancer Immunotherapy Effectiveness,โ New Study โคFinds
Paris, France – A new study fromโ Inserm and the Institutโค curie, published December 2nd in Nature Communications, suggests that โฃa nutrient found โขabundantly in cruciferous vegetablesโฃ – cabbage,โ broccoli, cauliflower, and others – can significantly enhance the effectiveness โคof immunotherapy, a growingโ cancer treatment approach.
Immunotherapy works by activating the patient’s own immune system to recognizeโค and destroy cancer cells, differing โfrom conventional โmethods โฃlike โขchemotherapy and radiotherapy which directly attack tumor cells.โค Currently usedโข to treat cancers including colorectal, renal, bronchial, ENT, Hodgkin’s, and skin cancers, its success rate may be linked to dietary intake of indole-3-carbinol.
Researchers observed a stark difference in treatment outcomes in animal subjects. Animals receiving a dietโ without indole-3-carbinol saw immunotherapy prove effective in onyl 20% of cases, โcompared toโ 50-60% effectiveness in those โฃconsuming a diet with the nutrient.
“When we remove this compound present in cabbages, ther is a drastic reduction in the effectiveness of immunotherapy,” statedโฃ Dr. Elodie Segura, Inserm research director at the Institutโ Curie.
the study also identified how indole-3-carbinol boosts immunotherapy: the substance binds to a receptor on immune system cells, activating them to target cancer cells.โ
While further research is needed to confirm these findings in humans,Dr. Segura expressed optimism.”This work allows us to better understand the role of โnutrients in anti-tumor โขimmune responses,” she said. “For patients,this data โcould โขmake โit possible to optimize diets to โensure the effectiveness ofโ treatments.” The findings suggest dietary recommendations, โฃincluding increased consumption of cruciferous vegetables, may soon be integrated into cancer care โprotocols.