U.S. researchers have discovered that eating broccoli and tomatoes together is beneficial for preventing prostate cancer, with the "synergistic" anti-cancer power of these two vegetables being particularly significant. This research finding will be published in the Journal of Nutrition.
Scientists agree that the prostate cancer-preventing effect of tomatoes is mainly due to lycopene, the substance that gives tomatoes their red color, while the anti-cancer ability of broccoli comes mainly from its glucosinolates. The combination of broccoli and tomato creates a powerful anti-cancer effect.
Researchers at the University of Illinois injected human prostate tumor cells into laboratory mice, causing prostate tumors to grow in their bodies. The mice were then divided into four groups and fed a single diet of tomato powder, a single diet of broccoli powder, a mixture of both, and a drug called "Casodex" (brand name), which inhibits the growth of benign prostate tumors. The results showed that tumor cells grew in all the mice, but in the three groups fed the vegetables, the tumor growth rate and tumor volume were lower than in the group fed "Casodex." Among them, the group of mice that ate the mixture of the two vegetables had the smallest tumor volume in their bodies. The researchers said at a press conference held by the American Association for Cancer Research that while tomatoes and broccoli each have excellent anti-cancer effects, their research proves that "there is strength in unity."