RX-Prevent and Relieve Ulcers

Don’t blame stress for ulcers. Nor alcohol or Tabasco-laden chili. While these things aggravate ulcers, they don’t cause them. The main culprit, rather, is a bacterium called Helicobacter pylori. Other less-common causes include stomach tumors and long-term use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory agents like aspirin and ibuprofen.

Doctors don’t know precisely how people become infected with H. pylori, but in the US, 20 percent of people under 40 years old and half of those over 60 are infected. Not everyone infected develops an ulcer, but one in 10 Americans will suffer from these stomach sores at some point. When the spiral-shaped bacteria set up roost in the stomach, they burrow through the protective mucous lining of the stomach, allowing stomach acid to reach the sensitive inner wall. The acid and the bacteria’s presence cause the dull, gnawing ache of ulcers. The pain usually manifests two to three hours after a meal or in the middle of the night; other symptoms include poor appetite, bloating, nausea, and vomiting. Importantly, H. pylori infections also raise the risk for stomach cancers.

While food may not cause ulcers, certain ones do help prevent and alleviate them—specifically broccoli sprouts. They’re one of the richest sources for sulforaphane, a compound that kills H. pylori including strains resistant to common antibiotics. Sulforaphane also boosts the body’s cancer defenses by increasing the production of “phase-2 enzymes,” which neutralize carcinogens and free radicals. In fact, in a 2005 Japanese study, researchers fed 20 people infected with H. pylori 100 grams of broccoli sprouts a day for two months. For a control, they fed 20 other infected individuals 100 grams daily of alfalfa sprouts, which are almost identical to broccoli sprouts but lack sulforaphane. After two months, the broccoli-sprouts group showed markedly reduced H. pylori infection and gastritis symptoms, while the alfalfa-sprouts group showed no effect. “The data suggest strongly that a diet rich in sulforaphane glucosinolate may help protect against gastric cancer,” lead investigator Akinori Yanaka reported to the American Association for Cancer Research.

The broccoli sprouts did not completely eliminate the H. pylori, however, suggesting that the sprouts may work best for preventing ulcers, relieving symptoms, and promoting stomach health. People who already have bacteria-induced ulcers may need to use the standard treatment of a two-week course of antibiotics, antacids, and stomach protectors that support the mucous lining.

Still, “Though we were unable to eradicate H.pylori, to be able to suppress it and relieve the accompanying gastritis by means as simple as eating more broccoli sprouts is good news for the many people who are infected,” Yanaka told the AACR.