New York: Broccoli is effective in reducing the risk of skin cancer caused by ultraviolet rays of sun, and prevents skin cancer, says a new study in United States. The study was published in journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Dr. Paul Talalay, study’s lead author, at John Hopkins School of Medicine, said, “The chemical component from broccoli sprout extract is not a sunscreen, but it boosts the protective systems of the cell to counteract the damage caused by ultraviolet radiation. Treatment with broccoli sprout extract might be another protective measure that alleviates the skin damage caused by UV radiation and, thereby, decreases our long-term risk of developing cancer.”

Researchers concluded after conducting tests on six volunteers (3 men and 3 women) aged between 28 and 53, exposed to pulses of ultraviolet radiation. He applied broccoli sprout extract to small areas of volunteers’ skin. He found redness and inflammation caused by damaging effects of UV radiation were cut by 37 percent in skin areas treated with broccoli extract.

It was found that the results lasted even days after topical broccoli sprout extract was cleared away.

Dr. David Leffell, a professor of dermatology and surgery at Yale School of Medicine, told that the decrease in redness reported in research is very impressive.

“Broccoli sprout extract needs to be tested on a larger scale because in this study there was restricted number of volunteers, but it the study is valuable,” said, Dr. Hensin Tsao, director of the Massachusetts General Hospital Melanoma and Pigmented Lesion Center at the Harvard Medical School.

Unlike the sunscreens, the extract worked inside the body by promoting the production of enzymes, which protected cells against UV damage and risk of skin cancer.  

Dr. Clark Otley, chairman, the Division of Dermatologic Surgery at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., predict broccoli extract may one day be added to creams, which are applied either before or after sun exposure. Otley promotes application of sunscreen with SPF 30 or higher to uncovered areas of body. People should examine their skin once a month by a doctor or dermatologist.

“Once one has skin cancer, there is a 50 percent chance of developing another within five years; therefore, in those individuals, an annual skin exam is reasonable,” said Otley.