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Cabbage can help reduce side effects after radiation therapy
Last reviewed: 01.07.2025
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Periodically, scientists in their research discover the properties of some products to reduce the risk of developing cancer. Now the object of experiments has become cabbage - cauliflower, broccoli, white cabbage. Specialists have found out that the compounds contained in cabbage can protect against radiation. This property of cabbage is promising for mitigating the effects after radiation therapy or after radiation training in man-made disasters.
Experts believe that indole-3-carbinol, which is contained in cabbage and breaks down into 3,3'-diindolylmethane (DIM) when it enters the body, has anti-carcinogenic properties.
DIM has been studied for several years as an anti-cancer agent, and recently specialists from various research centers and medical universities in China and the United States have found that DIM can protect experimental mice and rats from lethal doses of radiation. Scientists believe that DIM has the ability to protect healthy tissue during radiation therapy for cancerous growths, as well as during man-made disasters.
All experiments were conducted on rats. All experimental animals were irradiated with a lethal dose of radiation, after which one group of rats was given a course of DIM therapy. The drug was administered every day for two weeks in small doses. The specialists tested various modes of administration of the drug, but DIM always significantly increased the survival rate. More than half of the animals survived a life-threatening dose of radiation. Three months after the start of the experiment, the surviving rats were healthy and vigorous, while the rats that were not treated with DIM died within 10 days.
According to experts, DIM activates an enzyme that regulates the response to DNA damage and oxidative stress that begins in irradiated cells, as a result of which the cells are protected from the effects of radiation exposure. DIM helps restore DNA breaks, thereby preventing cell death. But the substance is not able to affect breast cancer cells (transplanted into mice).
Such a valuable quality as protection of exclusively healthy tissues allows DIM to be used as a softening agent against side effects in radiation treatment of cancer tumors. Animals that were treated with DIM did not experience such a strong decrease in the number of blood cells.
Experts hope that DIM can be used in two areas: protecting normal tissue during radiation therapy and saving the lives of people who have become victims of man-made disasters.
DIM is a small molecule, so the drug is well suited for use both in tablet and injection form. Therefore, depending on the patient's condition, it will be possible to choose the optimal route of administration of the drug into the body. The drug is completely non-toxic and retains its effectiveness even if taken for the first time 24 hours after exposure. And this is a rather important quality, since people who have suffered from radiation exposure cannot always be provided with immediate medical care.
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