American researchers say they have found that the thiocyanates in certain vegetables can reduce the incidence of cancer in experimental animals, and also inhibit, or even kill, human breast cancer cells. In fact, the thiocyanates mentioned in this news should be isothiocyanates. Isothiocyanate has antioxidant activity, and studies in recent years have also found that it has a variety of biological effects, including inhibiting the growth of tumor cells and inducing their apoptosis, as mentioned above. As a food chemical, isothiocyanate is found in high levels in some vegetables, especially cruciferous plants such as cabbage flowers, broccoli, bok choy, cabbage and turnips. Vegetables and fruits are good for health, and their protective effects are related to a variety of major diseases that threaten human health, such as tumors, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, etc. They are currently the most medically recognized class of food, and the recommended serving size is 400-600 grams per day. Since many people can’t eat this amount, if we can find the components that play a role in it, won’t it benefit mankind again and create new business opportunities? To this end, scientists have been working for decades to discover vitamin C, dietary fiber, carotenoids, quercetin, proanthocyanidins, catechins, and many other phytochemicals, including isothiocyanates. Different studies, from different perspectives, have demonstrated that all of these phytochemicals may have anti-tumor and other effects. But so far, any of these individual ingredients are no more effective than natural vegetables and fruits. Scientists speculate that it may be their combined effect that achieves the health benefits of vegetables and fruits. Whether a component of a food has health benefits is determined in three ways. First, the effect has to be observed in people who represent the majority of the normal diet; the effect in individual cases often cannot be verified in others. Second, it has to be demonstrated that the ingredient reaches the part of the body where it works, such as an organ where a tumor occurs, and in sufficient quantities. Finally, it should also be known how it produces its effects, that is, the mechanism of action. The study on isothiocyanate, which should be regarded as an in-depth exploration of the anticancer mechanism of cruciferous vegetables and one of many little-by-little works of this kind, is scientifically unique, but the first two aspects of evidence are still needed if the anticancer effect of isothiocyanate is to be conclusively proved. Tumor development involves a very large number of factors, including genetic factors, the influence of factors during pregnancy and growth and development, diet, exercise, the environment, living habits, smoking, drinking, psychological factors, etc., absolutely not a single isothiocyanate, or cruciferous vegetables can solve all the problems. People often have a little tricky mentality, hoping that they don’t have to be overly cautious in their daily lives, and that they can even take a little bit of miracle medicine after eating excessively, eating a lot of meat and drinking a lot of alcohol, so that they can avoid the attack of diseases. The wish is good, but scientifically it is not feasible, and no one has yet invented such a thing. In terms of the process of disease development, it is also impossible to have such a thing. We can’t say that all health food medicines on the market are fake, but no product can replace the food itself, and at best it can be helpful and complementary. Therefore, there is no shortcut to the pursuit of health, do not want to speculate, or start from the daily diet, rational choice of food, eat more vegetables and fruits. After all, health gains require adherence to good habits.