CREDIT: Heikerau | Dreamstime Watercress may be more than just a
peppery garnish on your plate or in your salad. A small new
study from the Cancer Center of the University of Southampton in
the United Kingdom suggests that a compound in this leafy plant
may suppress the activity of a protein that is often triggered
in cancer cells. "The research takes an important step toward
understanding the health benefits of eating cress," said study
researcher Dr. Graham Packard, a molecular oncologist at the
university, "since it might interfere with a pathway that has
been linked to cancer development." A research team led by
Packard discovered that a sulfur-containing compound called
phenylethyl isothiocyanate (PEITC) found in watercress and other
cabbage family vegetables may interfere with the function of a
protein called hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF), thought to play a
critical role in cancer development. As tumors grow, they send
out signals, including HIF, that cause existing blood vessels to
grow toward and int