Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41699775›Full record

ArticleCarcinogenesis2025

A watercress drink increases detoxification of common environmental carcinogens such as acrolein and benzene: results of a randomized clinical trial.

Stephen S Hecht, Steven G Carmella, Saonli Basu, Menglan Chen, Milo Wittman, Mei Kuen Tang, Yingchun Zhao, Jessica Lu, Debbie Ng, Emily Heath and 7 more

Registry-linked trialAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Carcinogenesis, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT03978117 (Clinical Trial of Two Study Drinks in Detoxification of Environmental Toxicants and Carcinogens), which is not on this map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

NCT03978117 phase2completednot on this map

Clinical Trial of Two Study Drinks in Detoxification of Environmental Toxicants and Carcinogens

TypeinterventionalSponsorMasonic Cancer Center, University of MinnesotaRan2021 to 2024Enrolled300ConditionsHealthyArmsFreeze Dried Watercress Preparation, Placebo Preparation
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. UntargetedNutrients · 2026
    Trial
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

17 authors.

Stephen S HechtMasonic Cancer Center, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, United States.ORCID 0000-0001-7228-1356
Steven G CarmellaMasonic Cancer Center, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, United States.ORCID 0000-0001-7383-5824
Saonli BasuMasonic Cancer Center, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, United States.ORCID 0000-0003-1200-4546
Menglan ChenMasonic Cancer Center, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, United States.
Milo WittmanMasonic Cancer Center, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, United States.
Mei Kuen TangMasonic Cancer Center, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, United States.ORCID 0000-0002-4491-8038
Yingchun ZhaoMasonic Cancer Center, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, United States.
Jessica LuMasonic Cancer Center, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, United States.
Debbie NgMasonic Cancer Center, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, United States.
Emily HeathMasonic Cancer Center, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, United States.
Naomi FujiokaMasonic Cancer Center, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, United States.ORCID 0000-0003-3277-6754
Andy EgbertMasonic Cancer Center, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, United States.
Lori StrayerMasonic Cancer Center, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, United States.
Ayaantuu UsmanMasonic Cancer Center, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, United States.
Nicole M ThomsonMasonic Cancer Center, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, United States.
Sharon E MurphyMasonic Cancer Center, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, United States.ORCID 0000-0001-5391-8104
Dorothy K HatsukamiMasonic Cancer Center, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, United States.ORCID 0000-0002-1108-2609

Funding

Women's CancerP30CA077598 · NCI · UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA TWIN CITIES · PI Timothy C. Hallstrom · 1998 to 2026
$100.4M
University of Minnesota Clinical and Translational Science Institute (UMN CTSI)UL1TR002494 · NCATS · UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA · PI BLAZAR, BRUCE R, WEISDORF, DANIEL J · 2018 to 2022
$34.9M
University of Minnesota Clinical and Translational Science Institute (UMN CTSI)UM1TR004405 · NCATS · UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA · PI Bruce R Blazar, Damien A Fair · 2023 to 2026
$30.8M
Clinical Trial of Watercress in Detoxification of Environmental Toxicants and CarcinogensR01CA222005 · NCI · UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA · PI HATSUKAMI, DOROTHY K, HECHT, STEPHEN S · 2018 to 2022
$3.1M
Mass Spectrometric Analytical Collaborations with Members of the Masonic Cancer Center of the University of MinnesotaR50CA211256 · NCI · UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA · PI Peter William Villalta · 2016 to 2026
$2.1M
Hormel InstituteMasonic Cancer Center CA-211256National Institutes of Health'sNCATS NIH HHS UL1 TR002494NCATS NIH HHS UM1 TR004405NCATS NIH HHS UM1TR004405NCI NIH HHS P30 CA077598NCI NIH HHS R01 CA222005NCI NIH HHS R50 CA211256University of Minnesota CA-077598U.S. National Cancer Institute
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Human exposure to toxicants and carcinogens occurs via polluted air, the diet, occupational settings, endogenous processes, and tobacco products. The glutathione-S-transferase detoxification pathway resulting in the excretion of mercapturic acids is one of the most important human systems for processing and excreting toxicants and carcinogens. Maximizing effectiveness of this pathway through dietary modifications can potentially decrease the impact of such exposures. We conducted a two-site clinical trial with a crossover, single blind (to participants) design, randomized to order of product receipt comparing levels of selected urinary mercapturic acids when participants consumed a drink made from freeze-dried watercress (3× daily, 2 weeks) naturally containing 2-phenethyl isothiocyanate (PEITC) vs. a placebo drink containing maltodextrin (3× daily, 2 weeks) with a 4-week washout between the treatment periods. Two hundred forty participants (157 F) were recruited and 188 (125 F, 152 non-smokers) were compliant and completed the study. Among compliant subjects, urinary mercapturic acid detoxification products of acrolein, acrylonitrile, benzene, crotonaldehyde, methacrolein, and methyl vinyl ketone increased significantly (P ≤ 0.002), with the largest increases being observed for the mercapturic acids of acrolein (65.6%) and benzene (37.3%), both P < 0.001. Consumption of a drink, three times daily, prepared from freeze-dried watercress containing PEITC (total of approximately 40 mg/day) significantly increased the detoxification of 6 of 7 environmental toxicants and carcinogens monitored. The results indicate that watercress consumption can ameliorate exposure to environmental toxicants and carcinogens. These results are particularly timely and relevant to exposures to atmospheric pyrolysis products resulting from wildfires. Clinical trial registration number: NCT03978117.

Indexed as

acroleinbenzeneclinical trialwatercress

Identifiers

PMID41699775
PMCPMC13221842

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
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Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.