Broccoli ‘boosts anti-cancer fight’

Men eating broccoli and cauliflower could reduce their risk of developing aggressive prostate cancer, a new study has found.

Canadian researchers claim that broccoli, cauliflower and possibly spinach are the best of the dark green and cruciferous vegetables that can help the body to fight this type of cancer.

In the UK nearly 32,000 men are diagnosed with prostate cancer each year.

The researchers studied 1,338 prostate cancer patients diagnosed in the Prostate, Lung, Colorectal and Ovarian Cancer Screening Trial. Each man completed a 137-item food frequency questionnaire.

Although the results showed eating fruits and vegetables was not associated with decreased prostate cancer risk in general, greater consumption of dark green and cruciferous vegetables – in particular broccoli and cauliflower – had a positive effect on the chance of developing aggressive prostate cancer.

“Aggressive prostate cancer is biologically virulent and associated with poor prognosis,” the researchers said.

“Therefore, if the association that we observed is ultimately found to be causal, a possible means to reduce the burden of this disease may be primary prevention through increased consumption of broccoli, cauliflower, and possibly spinach.”

The study is published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.