Watercress and Breast Cancer Prevention

Fight Breast Cancer with Watercress:

Watercress is the superhero of leafy greens. As the most nutrient-dense vegetable in the world, watercress consumption has been associated with reduced risk of several types of cancer. One of those is breast cancer, as studies have shown that eating a portion of watercress daily could help prevent this disease.

Watercress is an excellent source of chemopreventive isothiocyanates benzyl isothiocyanate (BITC) and phenethyl isothiocyanate (PEITC). Likewise, watercress is a good source of carotenoids, beta-carotene, lutein, kaempferol, and Vitamin C, all known to help fight cancer.

The link between watercress and cancer prevention isn’t new news. The American Association for Cancer Research released a study in 1995 linking the consumption of watercress to protecting smokers from a critical tobacco carcinogen implicated in lung cancer. In 1977, The Journal of the National Cancer Institute published one of the first papers identifying the potential of PEITC to inhibit carcinogenesis (the development of normal cells into cancerous cells) in laboratory animals.

In 2000, UK scientists identified several active isothiocyanates in watercress and found that watercress extract has more powerful anti-carcinogenic activity than PEITC alone. ln 2007, the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition released an essential study on watercress and added to the handful of human intervention studies investigating the effects of cruciferous vegetable consumption on cancer risk.

And in 2010, the British Journal of Nutrition and Science Daily supported the plant compound in watercress’s ability to suppress breast cancer cell development by “turning off” a signal in the body and thereby starving the growing tumor of essential blood and oxygen.

New research from Life Extension and Dr. Gary Gonzalez, MD, continues to show that watercress reduces breast cancer and may counteract specific processes by which cancer proliferates and spreads.

An overwhelming amount of research supports that watercress contains high levels of micronutrients associated with a lower risk for breast cancer and other forms of cancer. It’s also been said that to take advantage of the most powerful anti-cancer benefits, watercress is best eaten raw. So, there is no better time than now to systematically incorporate nature’s most powerful cancer-fighting food into your daily diet. Check out our recipe page for ideas on how to eat more of this cancer-fighting vegetable.

Please continue to check the B&W Quality Growers In the News section to get the latest updates about our greens that keep us healthy and happy.

Learn more about B&W today.

Find Watercress in your local store.

Instagram: bwqualitygrowers

Facebook: B&W Quality Growers

LinkedIn: B&W-Quality-Growers

Twitter: BWQualityGrwers

Pinterest: bwqualitygrowers

Author: Ruth Bozeman has over 20 years in the marketing and health and fitness industries with a proven track record of trust and innovation. Contributing: Steve Rothwell is a world-renowned Ph.D. He’s been a significant contributor to over 20 research programs centered on crop sustainability, food safety, and the nutritional value of Watercress, including anticancer properties.