Watercress by Ray Sahelian, M.D. Health benefit of watercress plant

Watercress is a leaf vegetable. Watercress is a member of the cabbage family, botanically related to garden cress and mustard. Watercress is a healthy addition to one's diet.

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Watercress protects DNA
Watercress supplementation in diet reduces lymphocyte DNA damage and alters blood antioxidant status in healthy adults.
American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vol. 85, No. 2, 504-510, February 2007. Chris IR Gill, Sumanto Haldar, Lindsay A Boyd, Richard Bennett, Joy Whiteford, Michelle Butler, Jenny R Pearson, Ian Bradbury and Ian R Rowland. 1 From the Northern Ireland Centre for Food and Health, Centre for Molecular Biosciences, University of Ulster, Coleraine, N Ireland, United Kingdom (CIRG, SH, LAB, JW, MB, JRP, IB, and IRR), and the Institute of Food Research, Norwich Research Park, Colney, Norwich, United Kingdom (RB)
The aim of this study was to determine the effects of watercress supplementation on biomarkers related to cancer risk in healthy adults. A single-blind, randomized, crossover study was conducted in 30 men and 30 women (30 smokers and 30 nonsmokers). The subjects were fed 85 g raw watercress daily for 8 wk in addition to their habitual diet. The effect of supplementation was measured on a range of endpoints, including DNA damage in lymphocytes (with the comet assay), activity of detoxifying enzymes (glutathione peroxidase and superoxide dismutase) in erythrocytes, plasma antioxidants (retinol, ascorbic acid, {alpha}-tocopherol, Lutein, and beta-carotene), plasma total antioxidant status with the use of the ferric reducing ability of plasma assay, and plasma lipid profile. Results: Watercress supplementation (active compared with control phase) was associated with reductions in basal DNA damage, in basal plus oxidative purine DNA damage, and in basal DNA damage in response to ex vivo hydrogen peroxide challenge. Beneficial changes seen after watercress intervention were greater and more significant in smokers than in nonsmokers. Plasma lutein and beta-carotene increased significantly by 100% and 33%, respectively, after watercress supplementation. The results support the theory that consumption of watercress can be linked to a reduced risk of cancer via decreased damage to DNA and possible modulation of antioxidant status by increasing carotenoid concentrations.