Broccoli fights cancer?

estherdragonbat

So, I went for a cystoscopy this week and found out that I have some new lesions in my bladder. To be clear, this is noninvasive papillary urothelial carcinoma (92-93% of the time, doesn't spread; 98% survival rate, oncologist even called it an 'inconvenience', rather than a cause for alarm). So, I'm facing another minor surgical procedure down the road. The nurse assisting with the scan mentioned that she'd heard that broccoli can fight cancer. I know that there are many preventative measures one can take, and I've heard that cruciferous vegetables are one of them. But is there any credible literature out there that shows a link between increased broccoli consumption and reduced risk of cancer returning?

I am taking her advice (and probably the broccoli!) with a grain or two of salt, since she also suggested seeing a naturopath. And again, this is about the non-deadliest form of cancer I could possibly get. But if broccoli can actually help prevent a recurrence, I'll up my consumption.

JeromeBarry1

The science on cruciferous vegetables and cancer is real, but it's not a guarantee.

janejellyroll

First, sorry to hear about your diagnosis. Sending you best wishes that this remains firmly in the "inconvenience" category.

I found this page: https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/causes-prevention/risk/diet/cruciferous-vegetables-fact-sheet

It doesn't look like there is a lot of solid human-based evidence for this yet, but bladder cancer is specifically mentioned here.

cwolfman13

It is well studied and real...of course, it doesn't guarantee anything. Best wishes.

http://www.aicr.org/foods-that-fight-cancer/broccoli-cruciferous.html

toxikon

Hmmmm, I was curious so I checked Examine. Their section on "brassica vegetables" is very incomplete but mentions anti-cancer properties. https://examine.com/supplements/brassica-vegetables/

It does look like there are quite a few scholarly studies too: https://scholar.google.ca/scholar?q=brassica+vegetables+cancer&hl=en&as_sdt=0&as_vis=1&oi=scholart&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwix-eGfiu_ZAhWsyoMKHR4rDr4QgQMIJzAA

estherdragonbat

Thanks! I'll try upping consumption over the next six months; I do eat cruciferous vegetables sometimes, but I can work them in more frequently. Didn't realize turnips were on the list. I've been having spiralized turnip 'noodles' in my stir-fries a couple of times a week.

laur357

Based on available evidence from epidemiological, in vitro, preclinical, and early phase trials, phytochemicals, specifically isothiocyanates (ITCs) *this is where the broccoli comes in* such as sulforaphane (SFN) represent a promising potential chemopreventitive agent in bladder cancer.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24444040

Consumption of overall vegetables and cruciferous vegetables specifically, resulted in a reduced risk of bladder cancer.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5010611/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24341734

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24444040

(forgive me for going with abstracts without reading the whole article)

toxikon

estherdragonbat wrote: »

Thanks! I'll try upping consumption over the next six months; I do eat cruciferous vegetables sometimes, but I can work them in more frequently. Didn't realize turnips were on the list. I've been having spiralized turnip 'noodles' in my stir-fries a couple of times a week.

I love broccoli and cauliflower so this is good news for me too!