Brussels sprouts and cabbages have found a new role in the war against breast cancer.

They have already been suggested as possible aids in preventing the disease. Now scientists say they may also be capable of treating it. Researchers at the University of Lancaster fed cancer cells with doses of around 350mg of the natural compound 13C, roughly the same amount found in a trolley full of cabbages. When the compound was used together with common chemotherapy drugs, the tumour cells died. Although further studies are needed the potential benefits are clear. The compound 13C is also found in broccoli, cauliflower and kale.