Dr Paul Clayton 2004<\/p>\n
When it comes to putting together a health-protective diet, you would be wise not to rely on any so-called ‘miracle’ food. It is all to do with dietary variety \u2013 how and what you put together on your plate. Dr Yongping Bao, a leading scientist at the Norwich-based Institute of Food Research, showed last year that the combination of selenium plus sulphurophane (a sulphur compound present in brassica) is 13 times more cancer-protective than either compound on its own(1). His latest research demonstrates exactly the same principle(2); that when it comes to eating healthily, the whole dish is greater than the sum of its parts.<\/p>\n
Dr Bao’s group looked again at sulphurophane, and this time combined it with apigenin, a flavonoid found in fruits such as apples, cherries, beans and broccoli, and in wine and tea. Both compounds have anti-cancer properties; including the ability to encourage the body to increase production of the detoxifying Phase 2 enzymes. These enzymes detoxify carcinogens by making them more excretable, and can also delete genetically damaged cells before they can become cancerous.<\/p>\n
Either compound on its own increased levels of the Phase 2 enzymes four-fold \u2013 but the combination of the two phyto-nutrients led to a 12-fold increase.<\/p>\n
The general principle that micro- and phyto-nutrients work best together is supported by US research which showed the benefits of combining broccoli with tomatoes(3), both of which are linked to a reduced risk of prostate cancer. Rats fed on whole broccoli and tomatoes had markedly fewer cases of prostate cancer than those given either broccoli or tomatoes alone; and better than those who ate a normal diet enriched with sulphur compounds and lycopene.<\/p>\n