A Day in the Life I'm seriously allergic to broccoli. If my food is even cooked with it, I'm out of commission with a killer migraine for at least three days. That's why I'm always a little envious when I tell you about a health benefit linked to broccoli intake. But today, no envy, because today I have some news about broccoli that primarily affects those with prostate glands. So men, get out your broccoli forks. Here's how my research day went… A colleague sent me a UPI article titled "Why Eating Broccoli Cuts Prostate Cancer" - a promising start to the morning. The article led me to a recent study published online in the journal titled PLoS ONE (Public Library of Science). Here's a sentence from the opening paragraph: "Some studies have specifically demonstrated that consuming one or more portions of broccoli per week can reduce the incidence of prostate cancer, and also the progression from localized to aggressive forms of prostate cancer." Even more promising! So I followed a couple of footnotes and suddenly found myself knee deep in "signaling pathways" and "insulin peptides." In other words, you'd need to be Mr. Science to get it all on the first pass. I'm neither Mr. nor Mrs. Science, but over time I've figured out how to drill down to the good stuff. STUDY ONE
Researchers at Mt. Sinai School of Medicine in New York conducted food frequency interviews with nearly 1,000 men. More than 500 had prostate cancer. (There was a genetic aspect to this study, but I'll assume, gentlemen, that you haven't paid the thousands of dollars required to map your complete genetic profile, so we'll set aside the genetics for today.) Results: "Intakes of cruciferous vegetables and broccoli…were associated with decreased prostate cancer risk." And: "Two or more servings per month of cruciferous vegetables may reduce prostate cancer risk. (Cruciferous vegetables include Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, and, of course, broccoli.) STUDY TWO
Much like the researchers in Study One, researchers at Cancer Care Ontario collected data gathered from food frequency questionnaires completed by well over 29,000 men. More than 1,300 had prostate cancer. Results: "Vegetable and fruit consumption was not related to prostate cancer risk overall; however, risk of extraprostatic prostate cancer (stage III or IV tumors) decreased with increasing vegetable intake. This association was mainly explained by intake of cruciferous vegetables, in particular, broccoli and cauliflower." And: "High intake of cruciferous vegetables, including broccoli and cauliflower, may be associated with reduced risk of aggressive prostate cancer." Granted, these aren't clinical studies, but taken together (along with a number of other studies cited in that original research that started things off) you've got to feel pretty good about regular broccoli consumption if you own a prostate. So let's go back to that original research, and, again, clear away the genetic chit chat (or most of it) to see where the researchers (from the UK's Norwich Research Park) took the broccoli/prostate ball. The Norwich team recruited 22 men between the ages of 57 and 70 who had been diagnosed with pre-invasive prostate cancer. For one year, all the men followed their normal diets, but half the group added 14 ounces of broccoli each week, while the other half added 14 ounces of peas each week. Tissue samples were taken from each subject's prostate gland at the beginning of the study, again at six months, and again at 12 months. Results showed that steady broccoli intake interacted with a specific gene, prompting changes to signaling pathways associated with prostate cancer and inflammation. And here's how the Norwich team concluded their PLoS write up: "This study provides, for the first time, experimental evidence obtained in humans to support observational studies that diets rich in cruciferous vegetables may reduce the risk of prostate cancer and other chronic disease." And that concluded my research day. But before we turn out the lights and lock the door, you might want to check the e-Alert "Throttle Up" (10/6/05), for an additional broccoli bonus that may be very beneficial to men AND women in their later years. Sources:
"Why Eating Broccoli cuts Prostate Cancer" United Press International, 7/2/08, upi.com
"Broccoli Consumption Interacts with GSTM1 to Perturb Oncogenic Signalling Pathways in the Prostate" PLoS ONE, 7/2/08, plosone.org
"Cruciferous Vegetables, Genetic Polymorphisms in Glutathione S-Transferases M1 and T1, and Prostate Cancer Risk" Nutrition and Cancer, Vol. 50, No. 2, 2004, ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
"Prospective Study of Fruit and Vegetable Intake and Risk of Prostate Cancer" Journal of the National Cancer Institute, Vol. 99, No. 15, 8/1/07, ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
"High Tofu Intake Is Associated with Worse Memory in Elderly Indonesian Men and Women" Dementia and Geriatric Cognitive Disorders, Vol. 26, No. 1, 6/27/08, content.karger.com
"Textured Soy Protein" Soyfoods Association of North America, soyfoods.org | 
