Narrator:        This is Science Today. A chemical compound released after consuming broccoli, a Brassica vegetable already known for its anti-cancer properties, has been found to boost the immune system to protect against bacteria and viruses, too. 

Bjeldanes:      Here we have an immune stimulator and an anti-cancer agent in one and that it raises the possibility that it is in fact the immune stimulation that is leading to the cancer protective effect.

Narrator:        Len Bjeldanes of the University of California, Berkeley, says the compound, called diindolylmethane, or DIM, was fed to mice infected with a virus and caused an eighty percent reduction in the amount of virus measured in their blood.

Bjeldanes:      What we look for are chemicals that are produced in the body from immune cells called cytokines - these are chemicals that are important in activating the immune response and help the body fight the bad guys, like bacteria or viruses. We get a really nice, strong response from these cytokines.

Narrator:        The next step, will be testing these effects in humans. For Science Today, I'm Larissa Branin.