Scientists at the University of Illinois in the US found that consuming broccoli and tomatoes together was better at preventing prostate tumours than when the fruit and vegetable were eaten separately.
This latest discovery supports a widely held theory that chemicals in foods can interact to bring health benefits.
"Separately these two foods appear to have enourmous cancer-fighting potential," said John Erdman, who led the study. "Together they bring out the best in each other. We decided to look at these foods in combination because we believed it was a way to learn more about real diets eaten by real people."
The researchers believe that it is the lycopene in tomatoes and glucosinolates in broccoli that are at the root of this latest health preservation discovery. No one has been able to replicate these benefits in table form as a supplement yet.
Dr Erdman’s research involved injecting lab rats with human prostate tumours and feeding them diets of powered tomatoes, dried broccoli or a combination of the two.
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