A recent study carried out by scientists from Oregon State University has found that Sulforaphane, a nutrient commonly found in vegetables, may be able to help fight cancer.

As a part of the study, which was published in Molecular Nutrition and Food Research, a professional journal, the scientists studied the effects of sulforaphane consumption on mice with prostate tumors as well as healthy humans.

It was found that sulforaphane selectively targets and kills cancer cells, while leaving other cells untouched.

“It is well documented that sulforaphane can target cancer cells through multiple chemopreventive mechanisms”, the researchers claimed. “Here we show for the first time that sulforaphane selectively targets benign hyperplasia cells and cancerous prostate cells while leaving the normal prostate cells unaffected”.

The phytochemical is able to kill cancer cells because it is an inhibitor of histone deacetylase, or HDAC enzymes, which affect access to DNA in cell reproduction and growth. By inhibiting these enzymes, sulforaphane is able to suppress tumor causing genes.

Sulforaphane is found in natural, non-toxic, and relatively cheap food sources, including broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, and other cruciferous vegetables.

Scientists believe that eating these vegetables and others that contain the nutrient on a regular basis could actually function as a form of long-term cancer treatment during the early stages of different types of cancer.