Broccoli excitement brewing (conference press release)

The press release for the upcoming Third European Broccoli Conference (19th & 20th of October, 2011, in Madrid, Spain) includes this intriguing one-two broccoli-then-coffee combination:

15:40 to 16:20 — Health benefits of broccoli: many good reasons to include broccoli in your meal.

Dr. Elizabeth Jeffery [pictured here], Interim Assistant Dean, multidisciplinary Research Programs, Professor of Nutrition, Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, University of Illinois, Urbana, USA

16:20 to 17:00 — Coffee break.

The combination resonates with the essence of a study that has perhaps received less attention than it deserved in the minds of broccoli/coffee research advocates:

Identification of a class 3 aldehyde dehydrogenase in human saliva and increased levels of this enzyme, glutathione S-transferases, and DT-diaphorase in the saliva of subjects who continually ingest large quantities of coffee or broccoli,” L Sreerama, M W Hedge and N E Sladek, Clin Cancer Res 1995;1:1153-1163.

(Thanks to investigator Alex Baumans for bringing the press release to our attention.)