watercress

Princess, you wrote " Studies have shown that eating as little as three ounces of watercress reduced the presence of breast cancer tumors in just hours after consumption. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20546646

I read the article and that is not what I got out of it.  It measured a level of a binding protein following ingestion of watercress.  I am not sure what the normal level of this binding protein is, and how much watercress raised it.  It is interesting, but does not say that it reduced the presence of breast cancer tumors hours after consumption.

Wish it was true.

Watercress The Miracle Food

UK Scientists say watercress is the new super food, able to prevent certain types of cancer.

According to a study published this week in The British Journal of Nutrition, the consumption of a three ounce portion of watercress reduced the presence of a key tumor growth factor six and eight hours after eating the watercress in healthy patients who had previously been treated for breast cancer. The study was conducted by the Cancer Research Center at the School of Medicine, Southampton General Hospital in the United Kingdom.

The study concluded watercress is as therapeutic as traditional drug treatments with tamoxifen and herceptin, commonly used chemotherapy drugs. The study also said that through regular consumption, watercress "has the potential to confer valuable protection against cancer in general."

"Watercress has the ability to turn off HIF1, a signal sent out by cells calling for blood supply," said noted aging scientist Dr. Nicholas Perricone. When HIF1 becomes incorrectly regulated, otherwise harmless precancerous clusters of cells have the opportunity to grow to form invasive tumors. "Scientists have been looking for anti-angiogenesis agents for years because if we can turn off the blood supply, we can kill the cancer," said Perricone.

"And it looks like watercress can do that." Another study published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition in February of 2007 showed that, in addition to reducing DNA damage, a daily dose of watercress increased the ability of cells to further resist DNA damage that may be caused by free radicals. In the study, 60 men and women, half of whom were smokers, consumed their usual diet plus 85 grams of raw watercress daily for eight weeks. Blood samples were analyzed for plasma antioxidant status and DNA damage in lymphocytes, a type of white blood cell. Watercress consumption significantly reduced lymphocyte DNA damage.

ETA: Watercress may ‘turn off' breast cancer signal

Ref: 10/94

14 September 2010

New scientific research from the University of Southampton has revealed that a plant compound in watercress may have the ability to suppress breast cancer cell development by 'turning off' a signal in the body and thereby starving the growing tumour of essential blood and oxygen.

READ MORE www.soton.ac.uk/mediacentre/news/2010/sep/10_94.shtml

I tried a new recipe for watercress soup recently.  When I got home and reviewed the receipt, I was a bit aghast that it was $4 per bunch.  All I could vaguely remember was some famous doctor opened a clinic in the 1800s (I think?) and insisted that it be located near a stream so he could grow watercress for his patients. 

I'm definitely going to make some more watercress soup and not bat an eye next time over the price.