A new study, executed by the researchers from Oregon State University, found how sulforaphane, a compound in broccoli and other cruciferous vegetables, can help to prevent cancer or slow its progression.

For their study, the scientists conducted whole-genome sequencing on normal human epithelial prostate cells and prostate cancer cells. They discovered that prostate cancer cells demonstrated high expression of IncRNAs, especially the one called LINC01116. When the researchers treat prostate cancer cells with sulforaphane, levels of LINC01116 were reduced, leading to a fourfold reduction in the cells’ ability to form colonies.

Lead study author Laura Beaver, of the Linus Pauling Institute and College of Public Health and Human Sciences at OSU, says: “It would be of significant value if we could develop methods to greatly slow the progress of cancer, [and] help keep it from becoming invasive.”