Drug & supplement interaction

Broccoli + Nivolumab

Nivolumab brand name: Opdivo.

No Known Interaction
Medically reviewed by · Updated July 2026 · Pair last verified Sep 13, 2026
The bottom line No known interaction

We found no known interaction between Broccoli and Nivolumab in our sources. Absence of a documented interaction is not the same as proven safety, and does not guarantee one does not exist. Do not start, stop, or change a medication or supplement based on this page; confirm with your pharmacist or doctor first. Additionally, although there is no interaction, the label for Nivolumab states a food rule worth keeping to, and the two are separately associated with some of the same side effects, which would make a new symptom harder to attribute to one or the other.

Know someone taking this? Share
Facebook Post Reddit Email
On this page
Interaction report

Broccoli and Nivolumab

We checked these two against our interaction database. Here is what we found.

No Known Interaction Found

We did not find a documented interaction between Nivolumab and Broccoli in our sources. This does not guarantee that the combination is completely free of risk — there is often limited research on supplements and herbal products, especially around drug interactions.

If you decide to take both, the practical routine is simple: add one new thing at a time and note the date you started it. If the combination is going to disagree with you, it usually shows in the first days to a couple of weeks — and a start date turns “I’ve been feeling off” into something a pharmacist can actually work with. Do not stop a prescribed medicine on your own.

Always talk with your pharmacist or doctor before making changes to your medications or supplements, particularly if you take several medications or have an ongoing health condition.

Broccoli safety at a glance

Broccoli overall Generally safe Broccoli as a food is safe for most people; concentrated supplements are less studied.
Pregnancy Likely Safe When used orally in food amounts. There is insufficient reliable information available about the safety of broccoli when used in medicinal amounts during pregna... Read the full pregnancy detail
Breastfeeding Likely Safe When used orally in food amounts. There is insufficient reliable information available about the safety of broccoli when used in medicinal amounts during pregna... Read the full breastfeeding detail

Pregnancy & breastfeeding ratings are from Natural Medicines (Therapeutic Research Center) — the full detail is in the Special populations card below. Safety guidance is general; always confirm with your pharmacist or doctor for your situation.

Still wondering about combining Nivolumab and Broccoli? Ask Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS directly ›
How we checked

Why No Interaction Is Listed for Nivolumab

Interactions in our licensed database are recorded against drug classes, not just single drug names. Nivolumab is filed under a single classification — antineoplastics. Broccoli has documented interactions with 2 drug classes — the most serious being cytochrome p450 1a2 (cyp1a2) substrates (moderate) and cytochrome p450 2a6 (cyp2a6) substrates (moderate) — and none of Nivolumab’s classifications are among them.

Classification data comes from our licensed Natural Medicines dataset. A medication can belong to classes beyond those recorded there, so this describes how the check was run — it is not a safety guarantee.

Keep it in perspective

Broccoli Does Interact With Other Medications

Broccoli has 187 moderate known drug interactions in our database — Nivolumab isn’t one of them. If you take anything else, check it against the full list below.

Moderate 187 No known interaction 2,643 (incl. Nivolumab)
Taking anything else?

Check Another of Your Medications Against Broccoli

Covers the 2,830 medications we’ve checked against Broccoli. Pick one to open its full report.

What to actually watch for

No Interaction Found — But Data Suggests Broccoli and Nivolumab May Share Several of the Same Side Effects

This is not an interaction. Neither one changes how your body handles the other, and nothing here says they react together. What our sources do show is that each has separately been linked to the effects below — so taking both can make those effects more likely to turn up, and harder to pin on one or the other if they do.

  • Stomach pain / Diarrhea reported in 5.4% of FDA reports for Nivolumab Additional detail

    Broccoli

    “Orally, loose stools, diarrhea, abdominal pain, and abdominal cramping have been reported following intake of broccoli seed and sprout extracts, particularly at high doses.”

    Broccoli · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in diarrhea.

    1 source cited
    1. 114753. Bauman JE, Hsu CH, Centuori S, et al. Randomized Crossover Trial Evaluating Detoxification of Tobacco Carcinogens by Broccoli Seed and Sprout Extract in Current Smokers. Cancers (Basel). 2022;14(9):2129. Published 2022 Apr 24. PubMed

    Nivolumab

    Listed in the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of the FDA label for Nivolumab, and in voluntary FDA adverse-event reports. Read the label on DailyMed ›

  • A skin rash reported in 3.2% of FDA reports for Nivolumab Additional detail

    Broccoli

    “Topically, allergic reactions to broccoli have caused contact dermatitis.”

    Broccoli · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in dermatitis.

    1 source cited
    1. 14158. Chakrabarti A, Prais L, Foulds IS. Allergic contact dermatitis to broccoli. Br J Dermatol 2003;148:172-3. PubMed

    Nivolumab

    Listed in the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of the FDA label for Nivolumab, and in voluntary FDA adverse-event reports. Read the label on DailyMed ›

Reported for Broccoli but not commonly for Nivolumab: an allergic reaction.

Effects for Nivolumab come from the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of its FDA label; effects for Broccoli come from the Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, quoted above. Where a percentage is shown, it is the share of 96,645 voluntary FDA FAERS reports for Nivolumab that mention that effect — a reporting proportion, not an incidence rate and not evidence the drug caused it. Wording is matched across sources by our own clinical vocabulary, so treat this as a prompt to pay attention, not a diagnosis.

Special populations

Broccoli in Pregnancy & Breastfeeding

Pregnancy And Lactation Likely Safe

When used orally in food amounts. There is insufficient reliable information available about the safety of broccoli when used in medicinal amounts during pregnancy and lactation; avoid using.

DISCLAIMER: This tool is intended for informational purposes only, and should not be interpreted as specific medical advice. Patients should consult with a qualified healthcare provider before making decisions about therapies and/or health conditions.© 2026 Therapeutic Research Center

How to take them

Some Nivolumab Products Have a Food Rule — Broccoli Should Not Break It

At least one FDA label for a product containing Nivolumab says to take it on an empty stomach. Most supplements — Broccoli included — are taken with a meal, so the easy mistake is swallowing both together at breakfast. Where that rule applies, keep Nivolumab on its own and move Broccoli to a meal later in the day.

This may not be true of your version. Food instructions belong to the product, not the ingredient: two Nivolumab products can carry different directions, and extended-release forms often differ from immediate-release ones. The label we read is quoted below — check the directions on your own box or bottle, or ask your pharmacist, for how to take the exact product you were given.

Table 2: Recommended Dosages of Intravenous OPDIVO in Combination with Other Therapeutic Agents Indication Recommended OPDIVO Dosage Duration of Therapy Unresectable or metastatic melanoma 1 mg/kg every 3 weeks with ipilimumab 3 mg/kg In combination with ipilimumab for a maximum of 4 doses or until unacceptable toxicity, whichever occurs earlier Adult patients and pediatric patients aged 12 years

From the Dosage and Administration section of the FDA label we read for Nivolumab — where that label names a specific product, the instruction is that product's. Read the label on DailyMed ›

A food rule is not an interaction — it is about how much of the medicine you absorb. The directions that came with your own product, and your pharmacist, outrank anything on this page.

Overlapping uses

What Nivolumab Is Prescribed For, and What Broccoli Has Been Studied For

These two come up together because they touch the same health topic — not because they do the same job. Nivolumab is a prescription medicine with approved uses on its FDA label. Broccoli is a supplement: what follows is what researchers have looked at it for, and how strong that evidence is.

Nivolumab is prescribed for: Opdivo (nivolumab) is used to treat many types of cancer in adults, and some in patients 12 years and older. It can be used alone or in combination with other therapies depending on the cancer type and stage. Cancers it treats include melanoma (including after surgery to reduce the chance of the cancer coming back), non-small cell lung cancer, malignant pleural mesothelioma, advanced renal cell carcinoma (kidney cancer), classical Hodgkin lymphoma, squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck, urothelial carcinoma (bladder cancer), colorectal cancer with specific genetic features (MSI-H or dMMR), hepatocellular carcinoma (liver cancer), esophageal cancer, gastroesophageal junction cancer, and gastric (stomach) cancer. Some uses require the tumor to test positive for a protein called PD-L1, and some are specific to certain stages of disease or prior treatments received.

Read the rest of what Nivolumab is prescribed for

Your oncologist will determine which use applies to your situation.

Broccoli has been studied for:

  • Colorectal cancer Natural Medicines rates the evidence for Broccoli: Possibly Effective Read what the research shows

    Broccoli for colorectal cancer

    Consumption of cruciferous vegetables, including broccoli, seems to reduce the risk of developing colorectal cancer.

  • Bladder cancer studied, not established Broccoli has been studied for this. Natural Medicines rates the evidence: Insufficient Reliable Evidence To Rate Read what the research shows

    Broccoli for bladder cancer

    It is unclear if consumption of broccoli reduces the risk of developing bladder cancer.

  • Gastric cancer studied, not established Broccoli has been studied for this. Natural Medicines rates the evidence: Insufficient Reliable Evidence To Rate Read what the research shows

    Broccoli for gastric cancer

    It is unclear if consumption of broccoli reduces the risk of developing gastric cancer.

Effectiveness ratings and the research summaries above are the verbatim record from the Natural Medicines database, which grades evidence from “Effective” down to “Insufficient Reliable Evidence To Rate”. A rating below the top of that scale means researchers have looked at it — not that it works, and never that it can stand in for a prescribed medicine. Do not stop or replace Nivolumab on your own; if you are taking Broccoli for the same health topic, tell your prescriber, especially if the medicine is being adjusted to a target.

Everything else you take

See Every Supplement That Interacts With Nivolumab

This page covers Broccoli only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Nivolumab page lists 1 supplement it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

The most serious there right now: American Pawpaw (minor).

By severity: 1 minor.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Nivolumab page

“Nivolumab (Opdivo) is an immunotherapy infusion that trains the body's own immune system to recognize and attack cancer cells, the kind of drug you might expect to carry a long list of supplement warnings. It does not.”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Nivolumab interaction page

One more smart check

Taking Broccoli as Part of a Dietary Supplement Product? Check It for Interactions

We hold 5,155 real supplement products containing Broccoli, each one broken down to its full ingredient list — and combination products often carry several ingredients besides Broccoli. Even though Broccoli itself has no known interaction with Nivolumab, another ingredient on your label might. Find your product and we’ll check every ingredient on its label:

How much people look this up

Where Broccoli and Nivolumab Sit Against Everything Else

Out of every supplement and medication people look up on HelloPharmacist, here is where these two land this week — and which way each has been moving.

Supplement Broccoli
Top 5%

#59 of 1,452 supplements looked up here in the last 7 days

29 days ago today
Medication Nivolumab
Top half

#770 of 2,830 medications looked up here in the last 7 days

29 days ago today

Position among everything looked up on this site, not a measure of how commonly either one is used or how important it is. A supplement can climb this list because of a news story. It counts every request to the page, automated ones included, and nothing here identifies anyone.

Where does our data come from?
  • Source: the Natural Medicines (TRC Healthcare) clinical database — the evidence-graded professional reference for herb & supplement interactions.
  • Citation library: 103,510 references behind our interaction content, 65,311 of them resolved to verified PubMed/DOI sources. See every Broccoli reference on this page ↓
  • Freshness: we automatically re-check this combination every week — this pair was last verified September 13, 2026. The Broccoli and Nivolumab records this page draws on were last updated July 10, 2026.
  • What “no known interaction” means: no documented interaction in the sources above — not a guarantee of safety. Supplements are studied far less than prescription drugs, so we say exactly what the evidence supports, and nothing more.
Data structure & sourcing designed and verified by .
Supplement

About Broccoli

What is Broccoli?

  • General nutrition and antioxidant support
  • Heart and digestive health
  • Detoxification support
  • Cancer risk reduction (popular interest)
  • Blood sugar support

Broccoli is a nutritious cruciferous vegetable rich in fiber, vitamins, and plant compounds like sulforaphane that have drawn scientific interest for health benefits. Eating broccoli as food is safe and healthy for most people, but concentrated supplements and extracts are less studied and benefits are not firmly proven. Talk to your pharmacist or doctor before using broccoli supplements, especially in high doses.

Brassica oleracea var. italica · Brassicaceae · Florets, sprouts, seeds, and stalks · Whole vegetable (fresh, frozen, cooked), broccoli sprouts, powders, capsules, and sulforaphane or glucoraphanin extracts

An interaction check asks whether these two react with each other — it does not ask whether Broccoli is a good idea for someone in your situation. Here is what our Broccoli record says about it on its own.

Broccoli: dosing

There is no official or standardized supplement dose for broccoli. As a food, broccoli can simply be enjoyed as part of a balanced diet.For broccoli sprout and sulforaphane products, the amount of active compound varies a lot between brands, and a proven effective dose has not been established.

From our Broccoli monograph — the full record covers uses, side effects and every documented interaction.

Read the full Broccoli monograph & all interactions
Medication

About Nivolumab Injection

What Is Nivolumab Injection Used For?

Brand name: Opdivo

Opdivo (nivolumab) is used to treat many types of cancer in adults, and some in patients 12 years and older. It can be used alone or in combination with other therapies depending on the cancer type and stage. Cancers it treats include melanoma (including after surgery to reduce the chance of the cancer coming back), non-small cell lung cancer, malignant pleural mesothelioma, advanced renal cell carcinoma (kidney cancer), classical Hodgkin lymphoma, squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck, urothelial carcinoma (bladder cancer), colorectal cancer with specific genetic features (MSI-H or dMMR), hepatocellular carcinoma (liver cancer), esophageal cancer, gastroesophageal junction cancer, and gastric (stomach) cancer.

Some uses require the tumor to test positive for a protein called PD-L1, and some are specific to certain stages of disease or prior treatments received. Your oncologist will determine which use applies to your situation.

Most-Reported Side Effects for Nivolumab

From FAERS, the FDA’s public side-effect reporting system (96,645 reports, all brands). Reports are voluntary and are not proof the drug caused the effect.

Malignant neoplasm progression 9,878 reports
Diarrhea 5,251 reports
Fatigue 4,195 reports
Fever 3,721 reports
Nausea 3,182 reports
See full Nivolumab Injection drug information
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Broccoli

Browse every other medication we’ve checked against Broccoli — both the ones with a known interaction and the ones without. Select any drug for the full detail.

0Major
187Moderate
0Minor
2,642No known interaction
187 Moderate 2,642 No interaction
Moderate

187 interactions

Showing 60 of 187 moderate interactions — see all 187 on the Broccoli page.

No interaction 2,642 drugs checked — show the list

We also checked Broccoli against these medications and found no known interaction in our sources. Open any page to confirm.

Showing the 60 most looked-up of 2,642 medications checked with no known interaction — see the full Broccoli list.

See the full Broccoli interactions page
See every supplement checked against Nivolumab, ranked by severity
Evidence & sources

Broccoli References

The 5 references that drive our Broccoli monograph and interaction data, from the evidence-graded Natural Medicines (TRC Healthcare) database. Citations with a link open the study on PubMed or the publisher’s site.

  1. Kristal AR, Lampe JW. Brassica vegetables and prostate cancer risk: a review of the epidemiological evidence. Nutr Cancer 2002;42:1-9. PubMed
  2. Chakrabarti A, Prais L, Foulds IS. Allergic contact dermatitis to broccoli. Br J Dermatol 2003;148:172-3. PubMed
  3. Hakooz, N. and Hamdan, I. Effects of dietary broccoli on human in vivo caffeine metabolism: a pilot study on a group of Jordanian volunteers. Curr Drug Metab 2007;8(1):9-15. PubMed
  4. Kall MA, Vang O, Clausen J. Effects of dietary broccoli on human drug metabolising activity. Cancer Lett. 1997;114(1-2):169-70. PubMed
  5. Bauman JE, Hsu CH, Centuori S, et al. Randomized Crossover Trial Evaluating Detoxification of Tobacco Carcinogens by Broccoli Seed and Sprout Extract in Current Smokers. Cancers (Basel). 2022;14(9):2129. Published 2022 Apr 24. PubMed

Medication overviews come from MedlinePlus (NIH); supplement label data from the NIH Dietary Supplement Label Database. Content is written and reviewed by licensed HelloPharmacist pharmacists — see our data sources and editorial standards.

Pharmacist Counseling Corner

Taking Broccoli and Nivolumab Together: Common Questions

Is it safe to take Broccoli with Nivolumab?
We do not list a known interaction between Broccoli and Nivolumab. That does not guarantee the combination is risk-free, so confirm with your pharmacist or doctor — especially if you take other medications or have a health condition.
Do Broccoli and Nivolumab have any of the same side effects?
Yes — our sources link each of them separately to 3 of the same effects. That is not an interaction: neither changes how your body handles the other. It does mean that if one of those effects turns up, it can be harder to tell which one is behind it. They are listed on this page with the source behind each.
Should I take Broccoli and Nivolumab at the same time of day?
At least one FDA label for a product containing Nivolumab says to take it on an empty stomach, and supplements are usually taken with a meal — so taking them together at breakfast is the easy mistake. Where that applies, keep Nivolumab on its own and move Broccoli to a meal later in the day. Food instructions belong to the product rather than the ingredient, so check the directions on your own box. This is about absorption, not an interaction.
Are Broccoli and Nivolumab used for the same thing?
They overlap in purpose, which usually means the real question is whether you need both rather than whether they are safe together. This page lists the shared uses and how strong the evidence is for Broccoli in each. That is a conversation for your prescriber, especially if Nivolumab is being adjusted to a target.
How was the Broccoli and Nivolumab combination checked?
Interactions in our licensed database are recorded against drug classes. Nivolumab is filed under 1 classification, and Broccoli has documented interactions with 2 drug classes — none of Nivolumab's classifications are among them. A medication can belong to classes beyond those recorded in our dataset, so this describes how the check was run rather than guaranteeing safety.
Does Broccoli interact with any other medications?
Yes. Broccoli has 187 documented drug interactions in our database — Nivolumab is simply not one of them. If you take anything else, it is worth checking each one; they are all listed on this page.
Does Nivolumab interact with any supplements?
Yes. Nivolumab has documented interactions with 1 supplement in our database — Broccoli is not one of them. The Nivolumab interaction page linked on this page lists every one, ranked by severity.

Written and reviewed by the HelloPharmacist editorial staff. Our editorial policy

Where next

Keep Exploring

Broccoli monograph Uses, safety profile, and every drug interaction in one place Nivolumab Injection drug information The full plain-English guide to this medication Nivolumab supplement interactions Every supplement checked against Nivolumab, ranked by severity Supplement interaction checker Check any supplement or product against your medications Browse medications A–Z Every drug we’ve checked against herbs & supplements References The 5 citations behind this page Ask a pharmacist Free, personal answer from our licensed team

Still Have a Question About Nivolumab and Broccoli?

Our pharmacists answer your medication & supplement questions — free.

Ask a pharmacist

This information is for education only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always check with your pharmacist or doctor before starting, stopping, or combining supplements and medications.