Foods Fight Common Diseases

Foods Fight Common Diseases
October 25, 2007


Broccoli and breast cancer: Broccoli prevents breast cancer. Yeast protects against anthrax. Honey fights cholesterol. These aren't headlines in a tabloid newspaper, but news to come from the national meeting of the American Chemical Society, an organization of chemists and chemical engineers. Scientists at the recent conference described a number of studies in which foods might be used to treat common diseases. One found that an anti-cancer agent present in broccoli seemed to fight breast cancer in animals. Another found that a compound from baker's yeast significantly increased the survival rate of mice infected with lethal anthrax spores. And another study found that honey contains about the same level of plaque-fighting antioxidants as leafy green vegetables.

— Liz Atwood


Baltimore Sun