Broccoli may not have been your favorite vegetable when you were young, but mothers everywhere seemed to know instinctively that eating broccoli was good for you. Now, new research has shown that forcing a bit of Mom's boiled broccoli down your gullet every once in a while was not in vain. With any luck, your sophisticated adult palate can now accommodate a serving of broccoli once in a while. If it can't, then you may want to keep trying, as researchers from the University of Virginia (UV) say that it can stave off certain cancers. "Everyone knows broccoli is good for you and that it contains compounds known to lessen the occurrence of some types of cancer," says UV researcher Janet V. Cross.
The team wants to further investigate particular nutrients in broccoli that bind to enzymes associated with inflammatory disease and cancers, as this may lead to the development of cancer fighting agents. "These nutrients or similar chemicals could be turned into anti-cancer compounds," says Cross, adding that such compounds could prevent many cancers before they even start.
Cross has some added motivation to quickly identify the cancer fighting compounds, as she would prefer taking a pill rather than chewing on a serving of the bitter tasting vegetable. "The real irony is that I can't stand broccoli," says Cross.
Source: University of Virginia School of Medicine
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