Pro-nutritional factors in food: the cancer preventive potential of Brussels sprouts studied in human volunteers

Two short-term intervention studies were conducted with glucosinolate-conta ining Brussels sprouts. At the end of the intervention period male voluntee rs, but not females, had a higher content of the enzyme glutahione-S-transf erase (GST)-alpha in their blood. This enzyme is mainly involved in detoxif ication of xenobiotics. In rectal biopsies we found induction of GST-alpha and GST-pi. Moreover, we found that in the male volunteers there was decrea sed excretion of 8-oxo-7,8-2'-deoxyguanosine (8-oxodG) in the urine, sugges ting protection against oxidative DNA-damage. This data show that 'establis hed' antinutritional factors in food can have pronutritional cancer prevent ion potential.