Cruciferous vegetables, such as cabbage, cauliflower, and broccoli, have been cultivated since antiquity as medicinal plants. Once ingested, the Cruciferae release unique phytochemical constituents able to modify the activity of cellular enzymes effecting carcinogen clearance and estrogen metabolism. The most active of these phytochemicals with regard to estrogen is the dietary indole, diindolylmethane. Understanding the dietary influences of cruciferous phytochemicals on estrogen status provides a basis for nutritional approaches to estrogen-related concerns that accompany aging in women and men.
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