Consumption of Brassica vegetables (which include broccoli, cabbage, and kale) is inversely associated with the incidence of several cancers, including cancers of the lung, stomach, liver, colon, rectum, breast, endometrium, and ovaries. Brassica vegetables are a good source of many nutrients including glucosinolates and carotenoids. Glucosinolates are sulfur-containing compounds that are converted to bioactive metabolites by an enzyme called myrosinase, which is released when the vesicles containing myrosinase are ruptured by chewing or cutting. These bioactive compounds are considered to be active agents for cancer prevention. Their ability to reduce risk of cancer may derive in part from their ability to modulate foreign-substance metabolizing enzymes, which include enzymes called Phase I cytochrome P450s and Phase II enzymes. Carotenoids may also have a role in cancer prevention and other health benefits including reducing age-related macular degeneration, and therefore merit research to reveal factors that affect their presence in the body.~The primary aim of this study is to investigate how various preparations of broccoli impact levels of these healthful nutrients in humans.
The primary objective of this study is to determine the effects of different methods of broccoli preparation on levels of urinary glucosinolate metabolites. The secondary objective is to determine the effects of different methods of broccoli preparation on levels of plasma carotenoids.