Broccoli to beat cancer?

A super broccoli which has taken British scientists nearly three decades to develop has finally gone on sale in M&S. It’s hoped that the broccoli – called Beneforte – will be a real weapon in the war against cancer and heart disease.

Studies have shown men with broccoli-rich diets have a reduced risk of prostate and bowel cancer. Other research suggests it can also help prevent heart attacks and strokes.

Beneforte contains three times more of the beneficial plant chemical glucoraphanin than normal strains of broccoli. Scientists at the Institute of Food Research and John Innes Centre in Norwich began the project in 1983 after a wild broccoli variety was discovered with raised levels of glucoraphanin. This nutrient is converted in the gut into another nutrient, sulphoraphane, which is thought to stop uncontrolled cell division associated with early-stage cancer.

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