Posted on 13th Jan 2011 @ 5:35 PM

Broccoli is not my favorite food at all.  When I was young my mother used to make me eat my broccoli.  Although she told me that it was good for me, she did not really understand why.  She just knew it was good.  But more and more scientists are discovering the benefits of broccoli, especially the compound that is found in this vegetable called sulforaphane.

Science Daily had an interesting article on the interaction between broccoli consumption and reduced prostate cancer risk.  They reported that researchers writing in BioMed Central’s open access journal Molecular Cancer have found that sulforaphane, a chemical found in broccoli, interacts with cells lacking a gene called PTEN to reduce the chances of prostate cancer developing.

The article reported that Richard Mithen, from the Institute of Food Research, worked with a team of researchers on Norwich Research Park, UK, to carry out a series of experiments in human prostate tissue and mouse models of prostate cancer to investigate the interactions between the expression of the PTEN gene and the anti-cancer activity of sulforaphane.

The research team found that in cells which express PTEN, dietary intervention with sulforaphane has no effect on the development of cancer.  In cells that don’t express the gene, however sulforaphane causes them to become less competitive, providing an explanation of how consuming broccoli can reduce the risk of prostate cancer incidence and progression.   According to Mithen, “This also suggests potential therapeutic applications of sulforaphane and related compounds.”

It is now possible to get the wonderful benefits of broccoli without having to eat it.  The beneficial compound sulforaphane can now be taken in capsule form.  There is an excellent product that is offered by the VP Nutrition Company called Life BroccoZyme.  In it you get a 600 milligram capsule of Broccoli Seed Extract providing 60 milligrams of Sulforaphane Glucosinolate. That’s double the potency of other available formulas.