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Parsley is well known for decorating a plate, freshening your breath and getting stuck in your teeth. But did you know that it is also a cancer crusader? Research shows this tiny green may stop the growth of breast cancer tumors associated with synthetic hormone replacement therapy.
The use of synthetic progestins as part of hormone replacement therapy has been clearly linked to an increase in breast cancer risk in postmenopausal women.
In a study published in Cancer Prevention Research scientists exposed rats to apigenin, a common flavonoid found in parsley, other plants, fruits and nuts. The rats on apigenin developed fewer tumors and experienced significant delays in tumor formation compared to those that were not exposed to apigenin.
The finding is significant for the six to ten million women in the U.S. who use synthetic hormone replacement therapies. The authors noted that certain hormones used in synthetic HRT accelerate breast tumor development. The study exposed rats to one of the chemical progestins used in the most common HRTs prescribed in the United States -- medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA). MPA progestin is known to be the same synthetic hormone that accelerates breast tumor development.