It is not new to hear that soy and broccoli have been linked to lowering cancer rates, if they are a part of your daily diet. California researchers think they understand what the effect of these veggies have on the cancer cell.

The researchers are convinced that there is a biological mechanism behind the protective effect. It is explained in the article that a compound resulting from the digestion of cruciferous vegetables, and genistein, an isofavone in soy, reduce the two proteins needed for breast and ovarian cancer to spread.


Cancer cells can be drawn to metastasize by having high levels of a surface recepter on the cell. The organs in which the cancer spreads also secrete high levels of a different receptor that binds to the cancer cell's receptor. This attraction stimulates the invasive properties of cancer cells and acts like a homing device, drawing the cancer cells to organs like the liver or brain.

The study found that when cancer cells were treated with high levels of compounds found in broccoli and soy, the drawing mechanism to the organs was reduced by 80 percent compared to untreated cells.

Dr. Alan Kristal, associate head of the cancer prevention program at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center says "This is an entirely unique mechanism...Preventing the invasion and metastasis of cancer cells is crucial"

More studies are needed but the research suggests that this attraction can play a role in the development of more than 23 different types of cancer.