June 3, 2011 – Parsley and celery are said to contain a nutrient that would have a protective effect against breast cancer.
This is what the results of a series of clinical trials indicate1 conducted in female rats exposed to a synthetic progesterone commonly prescribed as a replacement hormone during menopause. In female rats who also received apigenin – a flavonoid found in parsley, celery, apple, orange and walnuts – the number of cancerous tumors associated with hormone replacement therapy was 50% lower. Apigenin would also have had the effect of slowing the growth of tumors.
According to researchers at the University of Missouri, apigenin opposes the action of progestins which increase the risk of breast cancer. According to them, this plant nutrient would block vascular endothelial growth, which is responsible for the carcinogenic effects associated with hormone replacement therapy.
Although studies have not yet been done on humans, it is possible to believe that a diet rich in apigenin could help to minimize the known carcinogenic effects of progestins and thus reduce cases of breast cancer in the population, say the researchers.
Pierre Lefrançois – PasseportSanté.net
1. Mafuvadze B, Benakanakere I, Lopez F, et al. Apigenin prevents development of medroxyprogesterone acetate-accelerated 7,12-dimethylbenz (a) anthracene-induced mammary tumors in Sprague-Dawley rats. Cancer Prev Res (Phila). 2011 Apr 19.
