Researchers at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Md., and Tsukuba University in Japan found a protective system that can protect against cancer-causing effects of toxic chemicals in food and the environment. The system is common in many animals, and researchers are looking at ways to use the corresponding system in the human body to help protect people against cancer.

According to researchers, the system is dependent upon an increase in protective substances called phase II enzymes. These enzymes can dispose of toxic chemicals and effectively neutralize toxins' ability to damage DNA and trigger cancer.

"We've gained long-awaited proof of a basic mechanism that can reduce the risk of cancer," said Dr. Paul Talalay, a John Hopkins molecular pharmacologist who participated in the research.

"Our precise understanding of this system should make it fairly easy to design drugs that can fine-tune it," added Johns Hopkins researcher Thomas Kensler, a toxicologist who is overseeing early clinical trials of one such drug in China. "We have evidence that we can increase the system's levels of protection in people and are planning long-term studies that would reveal any lowered incidence of cancer."

The research is published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

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