Numerous studies have found cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, brussels sprouts and cabbage contain cancer-fighting nutrients.

In the new study, researchers found that a key component of broccoli sprouts - sulforaphane - helps suppress breast cancer proliferation and growth, particularly by working through a mechanism called DNA methylation.

Linus Pauling Institute associate professor Emily Ho said this process “turns off genes” and helps control what DNA material gets read as part of genetic communication within cells. This process gets mixed up in cancer sufferers.

“It appears that DNA methylation and HDAC inhibition, both of which can be influenced by sulforaphane, work in concert with each other to maintain proper cell function,” News.com.au quoted nutritionist Teresa Boyce as saying.

“They sort of work as partners and talk to each other,” she said.

But it''s not just green veg that can fight disease.

Ginger could have the power to help manage high blood sugar levels which create complications for long-term diabetic patients.

“Eating more vegetables helps reduce the risk of disease in general because it prevents cells from going wrong, and that''s what cancer is,” she said.

“Minimal cooking is best because lots of vitamins, such as Vitamin C and folate, are destroyed by heat,” she added.

The study has been published in the Clinical Epigenetics journal.