CANCER patients at Dorset County Hospital are being offered daily watercress smoothies in a pioneering three-month trial.

Patients at the Dorchester hospital’s Fortuneswell Ward and Chemotherapy Unit will be offered the superfood smoothies in a bid to improve their general health and well-being.

The initiative has been developed by the hospital in conjunction with local firm The Watercress Company.

The project has gone through a series of tests to develop a recipe that those involved claim not only tastes great but has the optimum balance of minerals and vitamins.

Watercress offers a wealth of nutrients such as vitamin C, iron and calcium as well as specific compounds and enzymes that are activated when watercress is chewed or blended into a smoothie.

It is also a rich source of isothiocyanates (ITCs), beneficial chemicals whose effectiveness has been proven in many scientific studies.

When eaten raw ITCs have been linked with the reduction of DNA damage and the inhibition of carcinogenic activity.

Over the last decade many studies have been carried out in order to investigate the beneficial effects of watercress, particularly relating to the reduction of cancer risk and inhibition of cancerous cell growth.

In 2007, research carried out by Professor Ian R Rowland of the University of Ulster supported the hypothesis that consumption of watercress can reduce the risk of colon cancer.

Two years later, further research, led by Professor Graham Packham of the University of Southampton, demonstrated that a specific ITC found in watercress may have the ability to suppress breast cancer development.

As a result of these studies, Dorset County Hospital (DCH) has been keen to introduce the potential benefits of watercress to patients and staff.

Chief dietitian Isabelle Hooley said: “We are delighted to work with The Watercress Company on this trial, giving patients and staff on Fortuneswell Ward an easy way to sip, swig or slurp an extra portion of fruit and vegetables - a dietary change which is proven to have health benefits.”

Throughout the trial period, the project’s success will be measured via the use of questionnaires and the monitoring of uptakes.

The initial aim will be to confirm that patients are enjoying the smoothies, and feel that their experience at DCH has been improved due to the scheme.

This would not be achievable without the full support of DCH staff, who will themselves be offered the smoothies daily.

If the trial is deemed a success, the project could be scaled up to involve other hospitals and full clinical trials may also be considered.

Managing director of The Watercress Company Tom Amery said: “We are delighted to be able to develop a product with DCH that has such a benefit to patients.”

“Other than the nutrient benefits we recognise the wellbeing that comes from such a novel solution, backed by scientific research, supporting the long recognised effect watercress has on health and nutrition.”