A research team led by Rutgers' Ah-Ng Tony Kong said the cruciferous vegetables are abundant in sulforaphane, a compound previously shown to inhibit some cancers in rodents induced by carcinogenic substances or agents external to the body.

However, Kong's study, published online in the journal Carcinogenesis, focused on whether sulforaphane might inhibit the occurrence of hereditary cancers -- those arising from one's genetic makeup.

"Our research has substantiated the connection between diet and cancer prevention, and it is now clear that the expression of cancer-related genes can be influenced by chemopreventive compounds in the things we eat," said Kong, a professor of pharmaceutics in the School of Pharmacy at Rutgers University.

Two groups of mice were fed diets supplemented with sulforaphane for three weeks, after which the group receiving 300 parts per million experienced a decrease in the average number of polyps in the small intestine by more than 25 percent. For those getting 600 ppm, there was a 47-percent reduction.

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