Prostate cancer is the second most common cancer affecting American men. According to the American Cancer Society, more than 30,000 men die from prostate cancer every year in the United States. Encouraging medical research shows that diets rich in dark green vegetables, such as broccoli, can greatly reduce a man's chances of getting prostate cancer. If you are at risk for prostate cancer, talk to your doctor about using broccoli to help prevent developing this potentially deadly disease.
Broccoli Prevents Aggressive Prostate Cancer
Not all vegetables are created equal when it comes to reducing prostate cancer risk. Diets rich in vegetables in general may help prevent many other cancers but do not appear to significantly reduce a man's risk of having prostate cancer. Dark green, cruciferous vegetables, such as broccoli and cauliflower, however, are particularly potent in preventing prostate cancer. A study conducted by the National Cancer Institute and Cancer Care Ontario, described by the BBC, explains that men who eat at least one serving of broccoli each week have a 45 percent lower risk of developing aggressive prostate cancer.
Broccoli Contains Sulforaphane
Broccoli is rich in a number of natural chemicals that can act as anticancer agents. The most potent anticancer compound in broccoli may be sulforaphane, which is found in very high amounts in broccoli. A review article in the medical journal "Cancer Letters" describes the many anticancer properties of sulforaphane. Sulforaphane can directly kill cancer cells and may also act to prevent normal prostate cells from becoming cancerous.
Raw Broccoli Is Better
Broccoli may be most effective in preventing prostate cancer if it is eaten raw. According to a report in the "Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry," the sulforaphane in broccoli is most potent when broccoli is not cooked. In fact, cooking broccoli was found to decrease the bioavailability of its sulforaphane by about 90 percent.
Sulforaphane Supplements
Sulforaphane supplements can be found in some health food stores. Until more work is done confirming the safety and efficacy of these supplements, it may be best to simply eat raw broccoli a few times a week if you hope to prevent prostate cancer. While sulforaphane does have the potential to prevent prostate cancer, more research needs to be done to determine if sulforaphane supplements are effective in preventing cancers. In addition to sulforaphane, broccoli contains a number of other compounds, such as vitamin K, antioxidants and perhaps other unknown anticancer agents, that may work synergistically with sulforaphane to stop prostate cancer.
