Does broccoli protect from osteoarthritis?

“Don’t eat too much fat, sugar, or salt”, “Eat at least five helpings of fruit and vegetables every day”, “Don’t nibble between meals”, and on and on. . . All these messages issued by public health organizations then amplified by the lay media are based on sound evidence that a well-balanced diet is beneficial in various health conditions such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and osteoporosis. However, what we choose to eat also depends on our beliefs, our culture and our environment; and feelings of guilt, anxiety, and confusion may therefore arise when we look at what we have put on our plate. Each new public health nutritional message initially generates a burst of hope in our ability to diminish our risk of disease and/or to increase our life expectancy. Then, when the time for lunch or dinner comes around, we rapidly tend to rebel against the new diktat. The scientific literature can provide enough evidence to support the intake of one food or another with the goal of decreasing the risk or progression of the diseases falling within the purview of each medical specialty. The result may well be a severe case of indigestion. Among rheumatology patients, those with gout will have to stay away from red wine and red meat, those with osteoporosis will be admonished to develop a strong liking for milk and cheese, those with rheumatoid arthritis will force-feed themselves with omega-3-rich fish oils (at the cost of bad breath), and those with osteoarthritis will be expected to know the exact calorie count of each of their meals in the hope of losing the extra weight that at least partially explains their pain and functional impairments.