Raw Broccoli & Bladder Cancer Survival

Raw Broccoli & Bladder Cancer Survival
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The effect of raw and cooked broccoli consumption on survival rates of bladder cancer patients.

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For years I’ve been presenting data on how we can best tune our diet to prevent cancer. What if you already have it? There’s been a burst of new research lately on cancer survival, which I’d like to share.

For example, we used to tell cancer patients to rest; conserve their energy. But now, there’s evidence that cancer survivors may survive longer if they exercise. But what about diet? Where are the data?

Well, we know that eating cruciferous vegetables, like broccoli, may help prevent bladder cancer, so I guess it should come to no surprise that broccoli may help with survival. This was a study done at Roswell Park, following a few hundred bladder cancer patients for about eight years. Of course, many didn’t live that long, but in teasing out which factors seemed to improved survival, they found that raw broccoli consumption appeared the most powerful. Cooked broccoli wasn’t useless, but this definitely makes sense, given the whole sulforaphane story I talked about before.

Eating just a single serving or more a month of raw broccoli was associated with half the cancer mortality. If you know anyone with bladder cancer, go buy them some broccoli, or even better, a broccoli seed-sprouting kit.

Fruit and vegetable intake also improves survival from non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, especially green leafy vegetables and citrus—though it is sobering to note that only 22% of the patients in this study followed public health recommendations for the minimum intake of fruits and vegetables, suggesting that the lymphoma diagnosis may be an important “teachable” moment to improve diet and other health behaviors. If a cancer diagnosis can’t get someone to eat their greens, I’m afraid nothing will.

To see any graphs, charts, graphics, images, and quotes to which Dr. Greger may be referring, watch the above video. This is just an approximation of the audio contributed by veganmontreal.

Please consider volunteering to help out on the site.

Image thanks to Russ Walker / flickr

For years I’ve been presenting data on how we can best tune our diet to prevent cancer. What if you already have it? There’s been a burst of new research lately on cancer survival, which I’d like to share.

For example, we used to tell cancer patients to rest; conserve their energy. But now, there’s evidence that cancer survivors may survive longer if they exercise. But what about diet? Where are the data?

Well, we know that eating cruciferous vegetables, like broccoli, may help prevent bladder cancer, so I guess it should come to no surprise that broccoli may help with survival. This was a study done at Roswell Park, following a few hundred bladder cancer patients for about eight years. Of course, many didn’t live that long, but in teasing out which factors seemed to improved survival, they found that raw broccoli consumption appeared the most powerful. Cooked broccoli wasn’t useless, but this definitely makes sense, given the whole sulforaphane story I talked about before.

Eating just a single serving or more a month of raw broccoli was associated with half the cancer mortality. If you know anyone with bladder cancer, go buy them some broccoli, or even better, a broccoli seed-sprouting kit.

Fruit and vegetable intake also improves survival from non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, especially green leafy vegetables and citrus—though it is sobering to note that only 22% of the patients in this study followed public health recommendations for the minimum intake of fruits and vegetables, suggesting that the lymphoma diagnosis may be an important “teachable” moment to improve diet and other health behaviors. If a cancer diagnosis can’t get someone to eat their greens, I’m afraid nothing will.

To see any graphs, charts, graphics, images, and quotes to which Dr. Greger may be referring, watch the above video. This is just an approximation of the audio contributed by veganmontreal.

Please consider volunteering to help out on the site.

Image thanks to Russ Walker / flickr

Doctor's Note

This completes my 13-video series on the latest research on cruciferous vegetables. The “sulforaphane story” I refer to in the video is explained in Smoking Versus Kale Juice, and DNA Protection From Broccoli. And growing your own broccoli sprouts is covered in Biggest Nutrition Bang For Your Buck. This video talks about survival; I cover a bit of prevention side of the story in The Healthiest Vegetables. Wasn’t there some story downplaying the role of fruits and vegetables in cancer prevention? Watch my take on it in EPIC Study.

Note that three of the sources for this video are open access, so you can download them by clicking on the links in the Sources Cited section, above.

For more context, check out my associated blog posts: Health Food Store Advice: Often Worthless or Worst; Breast Cancer Stem Cells vs. Broccoli; Gerson Therapy for Cancer?; and Foods That May Block Cancer Formation.

If you haven’t yet, you can subscribe to my videos for free by clicking here.

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43 responses to “Raw Broccoli & Bladder Cancer Survival”

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  1. This completes my 13-video series on the latest research on cruciferous vegetables. The “sulforophane story” I refer to in the video is explained in Smoking Versus Kale Juice and DNA Protection From Broccoli. And in terms of growing your own broccoli sprouts, that was in my video-of-the-day a few days ago, Biggest Nutrition Bang For Your Buck. This video talked about survival; I cover a bit of prevention side of the story in The Healthiest Vegetables. Wasn’t there some story downplaying the role of fruits and vegetables in cancer prevention? Watch my take on it in EPIC Study. And, of course, there are always the hundreds of other videos on more than a thousand subjects. Note that three of the sources for this video are open access, so you can download them by clicking on the links above in the Sources Cited section.

    Reply

  2. Recently a friend showed me a video about the Gerson Institute which claims spectacular success in curing cancer with fruit and vegetable juices and coffee enemas. I’d appreciate your comments on their techniques and on how well founded in the science they are.

    Reply

  7. Hi Dr Greger; As an animal-lover extraordinaire I often wonder how much of the whole-foods-plant-based diet could apply to my companion canines. It would seem that if animal foods increase the proliferation of cancer in humans, then in could also do that in dogs. There are a lot of pets these days which have their lives cut short by cancer. Do you ever come across research for canines which might help us vegans make healthier choices for our animals. Already I only feed my dogs half the kibble recommended and the rest of their calories is in whole plants.

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  8. amazing, just once a month yields such fantastic payback from gagging down (kinda kidding!) raw broccoli. Wont be a hard sell, it’s so beneficial.
    Thank you, Dr. Greger -another amazingly informative video in under 2 minutes

    Reply

  9. Dr. Greger I watched your excellent talk on BIRDFLU at the U in Minneapolis in 2006. I was the one in the audience that suggested filming your talks and posting them on your site for the world to share. Nice work here! My Chloe cat has bladder cancer. I don’t smoke, but my 1922 house is loaded with asbestos. She had not been correctly diagnosed for a year and four months. 3 vets and 8 office exams and not until 3 weeks ago did anyone check her BLADDER. I have been mashing up broccoli sprouts for the juice (about 3ml) and mixing it with unsalted chicken broth and giving to with a feeding syringe. Because of the tumor I have to express her bladder. It seems to me to be less inflammation. Any idea how much juice I can give her to be effective?

    Reply

    1. Robert: I’m so sorry to hear about your cat. I can’t answer your question, but I do understand how important our non-human animal family members are. I hope you are able to get some results.

      I also wanted to say thanks for your idea about doing videos on the web. Who knows, maybe your comment sparked the entire idea for this website. If so, we all owe you a big thanks.

      Good luck with your cat.

      Reply

  10. Raw Broccoli with Black Bean (no oil) hummus (loaded with garlic) every day thanks to Dr. Greger! Keeps Cancer and my Boss away all day!

    Reply

  11. My husband of 40 years just died of bladder cancer in early May. We have been vegetarians for 40 years and vegan for 20! We ate all the right veggies, fruits, exercised daily with tennis, had great book discussions with friends and all of a sudden this cancer erupts in late Dec. so after cat scans, pet scans, we went with radiation/chemo. Unfortunately where the tumor was located in the lower bladder wall, a hole developed causing a fistula meaning all the urine was passing through the rectum. He was in terrible pain and completely exhausted from all the treatments and finally said enough since the doctors said that he would have to undergo major bowel surgery. So he decided on hospice which helped he a great deal. My husband, friend, guru died at the age of 82. He is the inventor of Betsy’s Tempeh and the world has lost a great person and mind.

    Reply

    1. Tempster: Thank you for sharing your story. Your husband sounds like he was a great man who contributed much to this world. Please take care of yourself.

      Reply

      1. Thanks so much Thea. It would be wonderful to know that a good plant based diet + exercise would keep away the cancers, but alas, that is not the case. I still believe in a healthy plant based diet and exercise; however, I will remind people that cancer has its own mind set and a “will” of its own. I remember Gunter saying, it would be great if one could take a piece of the cancer cell and figure out what could be injected into it to decrease its potential for growth. Some cells divide so rapidly. I think that if we spent much more money on research vs money for weapons, we would be so much further ahead with this deadly disease.

        betsy shipley

        betsyandgunter@gmail.com

        Reply

        1. One day, we will do exactly that. We will figure out the mechanism for cancer proliferation. We will understand why this modern disease has become such an aggressive and dominant force. We will hopefully find a way to remove the profit from prolonging treatment and replace it with a stimulus to heal. In order to accomplish these things, we must maintain a free Democratic Republic of and for the people. Only prudent funding of weaponry can maintain our momentum and full potential. Without it, we will become a third world nation with no hope of cultural, social or medical advances. Even Sun Tzu agrees that the ultimate martial art is to remain well armed but to understand how to avoid the use of arms.

          Reply

        2. Nothing is 100%. What works for some, doesnt always equate to the masses. Perhaps he lived longer BECAUSE he ate Broccoli? or fruties, etc?

          Reply

    2. My boyfriend, who is 60, was just diagnosed with stage iv bladder cancer. He is beating himself up for ignoring the warning signs and for not eating right.Bladder cancer is the 4th leading cause of death for men, yet we never hear anything about it. I’m sorry for your loss and thank you for sharing your story.

      Reply

      1. How did you find out he has bladder cancer? Gunter had a cat scan showing his cancer and then a colonoscopy, etc. After he went through the horror of radiation/chemo and loosing over 50 lbs. we discovered a fistula in the lower bladder which meant that the urine was being excreted through the colon and into the rectal area causing terrible pain. At that point Gunter said enough since one dr. said that connecting the ureters and exiting them through a pouch in the abdomen would mean major surgery which Gunter did not think he could withstand.

        Reply

        1. Admittedly, he ignored the obvious symptoms associated with bladder cancer. I urged him to go to the doctor when I noticed a change in the color of his urine, but he he still says none of the symptoms were all that intolerable. Last October, he started getting dizzy and a bad headache when he stood up. That drove him to the clinic where the doctor essentially shrugged and told him that he had high blood pressure. I guess he took that medication for about 2-3 weeks. Eventually he ended up in the emergency room, complaining of acute dizziness and severe headaches. They discovered a 2 cm brain tumor and 5 cm bladder tumor. He had brain surgery the day before Thanksgiving. They removed it all, but the bladder tumor is too dangerous and large to remove, so he begins chemo on the 25th. He’s had cat scans and MRIs thus far, and he’s getting a pet scand Tuesday. The doctors said it was incurable and that the chemo may shrink the tumor in the bladder enough to where they can remove his bladder. It is very unusual for bladder cancer to spread to the brain. The last scans didn’t show any tumors anywhere else, but clearly, the doctors said, cancer cells are waiting in the wings.

          Reply

          1. Oh my! I wish you the very best and understand what you are going through. Just be prepared for the side effects of the chemo. Gunter had terrible chills the first few days and I was in panic mode, called the doctor who said emergency room but I got out the heating pad with a huge quite which warmed Gunter up so no emergancy room that day.I won’t bore you with all that I went through but looking back on it now I wonder how I did it alone for the first serveral weeks. Feel free to write me and I always write back. This is the first time in my 82 years that I am truly alone. betsy

            Reply

            1. My husband also has,bladder cancer….his 4th csncer….the Dr tried chemo but after 2 treatments my husband is so weak and has been in and out of hospital….he hasn’t eaten in probably 2 weeks…..the Dr stopped chemo but won’t look at putting in a feeding tube so he gets some nutrition…..all we can do is pray.

              Reply

    3. So sorry for you . Im bladder cancer free for 9 months now it was a rough road considering I’ve been fighting it for 3 years … transitional cell carcinoma is what I had took 6 bcg treatments and it was gone for 9 months. And them returned so had to do 4 more now 9 months no cancer … cancer makes you worry EVERY spare minute you have
      Luckily the doc can remove it each timeout comes back . But if returns next step will be more drastic doc told me . I go next month for another
      Cystoscope .. prayers and fight keep me going … So sorry for your lost . God bless

      Reply

  12. Hi Doc, my dad just went for a ct scan because his tumor is back (bladder) and I was wondering if you could share some other thoughts and studies, if it is reversible with a vegan diet and what foods to avoid. I’ve seen so much bias stuff I thought if you could point me in the right direction, my family and I would really appreciate it. (I am vegan and I’m trying to gather more and more information to share with him). I’d really appreciate it, thanks! (huge fan)

    Reply

  14. This was published in the BBC news

    http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/8629358.stm

    They wrote about study that found that red meat consumption,
    and other animal flesh, Such as , fish, chicken, poultry, etc .
    They all been found to raise the risk for developing bladder cancer.
    They noted that correlation was the highest with cooked meat.
    and those who ate raw meat have had reduced risk
    But they didn’t compared between people who eat cooked plants,
    And since this video also pointed to a study that found that raw broccoli
    is much more effective than cooked broccoli.
    So maybe it’s not much about the broccoli,
    Nor does reducing animal food is so effective.
    Maybe it’s just the raw food that help, Or to put it in other words,
    Maybe it’s the cooked food in general that raises the risk,
    Plant or not?

    Reply

    1. Here is a great video Dr. Greger did on Broccoli that addresses the benefits of raw. If you search for additional videos you can see the different carcinogens that are induced by cooking, especially at high heat. One chemical produced is called heterocyclic amines. Another is a group called advanced glycation end products, which also occurs at high heat, both avoided when methods of high heat cooking are avoided.
      http://nutritionfacts.org/video/raw-broccoli-and-bladder-cancer-survival/

      Reply

      1. Dr Michael Greger is not believe in the benefit of raw food in general,
        He think that cooked plants and raw plants are equally healthy,
        i.e, Some cooked plants , are more nutritionally dense than Raw plants
        and in other cases Raw plants are more nutritionally dense than
        cooked plants according to Dr Greger opinion .

        I never heard him states that Cooked Plants also may contain carcinogens
        or toxins due to heating, except in one video , when he spoke about French Fries.

        But i believe he is wrong,
        Even if some cooked plants are more nutritionally dense,
        It’s doesn’t necessarily mean they are healthy,
        Because the most common reasons to death and disability
        are always never due to lack of nutrition, They are mostly due to many toxins in the food.
        And the number one food which cure all or at least most diseases is
        Not Even Dark Leafy Greens, It’s is actually Fasting!

        Here is very short clip of woman who was cured from deadly cancer only with fasting,
        And she is not an exception.

        https://youtu.be/fSH4vBBSDmg

        Reply

  15. Hi folks,
    My mum has just been diagnosed with an apparently aggressive form of bladder cancer. She lives in London, UK. Is anyone aware of doctors, practioners, oncologists in the UK who are open to ALL possibilities regarding treatment and cure? Indeed, any hospitals or clinics where this is the case? She is 78, and determined – in a very deep way – to beat this, whatever it takes. She has already agreed to cut out all animal products, after a lifetime of consumption!

    Reply

    1. Thanks for the question! I am a volunteer moderator for Dr. Greger and am happy to help. Dr. Greger did a video on bladder cancer and broccoli that you may find helpful:
      http://nutritionfacts.org/video/raw-broccoli-and-bladder-cancer-survival/

      In order to find a healthcare practitioner, i recommend using the Institute for Functional Medicine’s search tool to find a doctor or healthcare provider with advanced training in this area:
      https://www.functionalmedicine.org/practitioner_search.aspx?id=117

      Hope this helps!
      Dr. Laura Belus, ND
      Volunteer moderator

      Reply

  16. Hi all,
    My husband of 56 is fighting bladder cancer and undergoing treatments. He is in much pain, must go to the bathroom constantly, and has a very irritated bladder. He is bothered by citric fruits, yogurt, chocolate, etc. Can you please recommend foods that would not contribute to the pain?

    Thank you.

    Reply

  17. Hi I’m a health support volunteer. Thanks for your question. I’m sorry to hear about what your husband is going through.
    Citrus fruits, dairy, and chocolate are all known to be bladder irritants (I believe it is because they cause the bladder to be more alkaline than it prefers to be). Non-citrus fruits should not cause this problem. You might want to follow some of the dietary recommendations for chronic bladder irritation conditions such as interstitial cystitis. I found a lengthly list from the IC Network for you.
    http://ic-network.com/downloads/2012icnfoodlist.pdf
    I would stick to the plant based sources.

    If you haven’t seen Dr. Greger’s other videos on cancer, I would recommend them as well:
    https://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-not-to-die-from-cancer/

    I hope that helps. Please wish your husband all the best from us here a NutritionFacts.
    NurseKelly

    Reply

  18. I have a friend recently diagnosed with Interstitial Cystitis. Might following your protocol for bladder cancer be effective for her as well? What other foods would be good for someone with IC? She is currently told to consume low acid foods that are bland…for some reason she is just consuming vanilla carnation instant milk, chicken, and wheat bagels. I know this is bad…can you point me in the right direction to give her some help (along with more info to follow)? Thank you.

    Reply

  19. Dear Dr, Greger: Thank you for your life-saving work. I watched the broccoli / bladder cancer video with great interest. Briefly, I was diagnosed with bladder cancer a week ago. Can’t understand how it happened; I’m 64, in excellent health, vegan except for salmon + sardines once a week, and workout every day. Surgery was three days ago. They took out a large tumor in the bladder’s “superficial lining” (hope I’m using the right terminology), and also some superficial “carpeted” spots in another area. Almost all the cancer was in this superficial lining, and the surgeon says he got it all. The cancer is confined to the bladder, which is great news. But they did find one suspicious spot inside the bladder muscle (the doctor said it was small, he called it “focal.”). They are trying now to determine if it’s cancerous.

    With that information, here’s my question: Should I begin eating broccoli immediately, or is there any reason I should wait a few days? Again, surgery was three days ago, I’m just now ready to eat again. If one serving of broccoli a month is helpful, might it even be better if I ate it every day? And instead of a half-cup, as in the study, maybe a full cup or more?

    Many thanks for any additional information you can provide.

    Reply

  20. As long as you’ve been approved for normal diet post surgery eating broccoli should not be limited. The video you viewed stated ” While the video states”Eating just a single serving or more a month of raw broccoli was associated with half the cancer mortality. If you know anyone with bladder cancer, go buy them some broccoli, or even better, a broccoli seed-sprouting kit.” so you can have broccoli regularly, even every day and you can have those broccoli sprouts as well.I’m not telling your cancer will be cured, but this can certainly increase your odds. Advise your doctor of your proactive approach and ask him for what other steps you can take to cut your risks (But don’t be surprised he will not be supportive of your nutritional efforts- remember that’s not the way drs have been trained. You might bring in a few studies that Dr. Greger cited, if your doctor is teachable.
    I realize when you’ve been eating so well it’s so devastating to get this diagnosis, but the research point to the benefits of what you are doing and perhaps you’ve managed to keep the cancer at bay with your good diet and now with the surgical treatment you can keep those genes turned off. Best of health to you now

    Reply

    1. Joan, thank you so much for the detailed response. It’s very helpful and I really appreciate it. What might be the optimum amount of raw broccoli to eat a day? A serving? More? Many thanks.

      Reply

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