Broccoli is rich in sulforaphane. What are the benefits of eating more of it?
According to a research report published by researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles in the "Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology," the naturally occurring "sulforaphane" in broccoli can prevent oxidative damage to the immune system.
Sulforaphane has long been linked to the effect of reducing cancer risk. In addition, it can prevent degenerative arthritis, activate the immune system, and trigger the body's self-healing power. Broccoli sprouts are one of the best supplementary sources of this nutrient. Their sulforaphane content is 20-50 times higher than that of mature broccoli, so in recent years they have been widely praised by health-conscious eaters.
Study leader Andre Nel said: "As we age, the 'oxidative stress' caused by free radicals gradually weakens the body's immune system function in fighting disease and infection. The level of activity of the human body's antioxidant mechanisms also determines our aging speed and our ability to fight disease and infection."
Editor's note: In recent years, the medical community has generally believed that degenerative diseases, chronic inflammation, and even cancer are all inseparable from oxidative stress. Chang Su-chiung, secretary-general of the Taiwan Dietetic Association and distinguished professor in the Department of Life Sciences at National Cheng Kung University, citing research from the British Society for Free Radical Research, pointed out that as many as 300 diseases are related to free radicals. (Reference: CommonHealth Magazine issue176"Eating for Antioxidants" special feature)
The research team injected sulforaphane continuously for five days before exposing mice to an infection environment, and also injected it for eleven days after removing them from the infection environment. They found that after sulforaphane injection, the immune system health of older mice became closer to that of younger mice. In these experimental mice, whether sulforaphane was administered directly into the body or into cells, recovery of immune function was detected, especially with a particularly notable effect on dendritic cells.
Andre Nel further pointed out that sulforaphane's ability to help the body recognize foreign infections has the potential to be developed into medical treatments. "Sulforaphane brings entirely new ideas for how to enhance the immune function of older adults to prevent viral infection and cancer; we may have discovered a mechanism for using such nutrients to influence the process by which the immune system is attacked by free radicals, in order to improve vaccine response."
The benefits of antioxidant foods for the body are receiving increasing attention. However, the busy pace of modern life often leads many people to habitually rely on single high-dose antioxidant supplements. Yet in recent years, large-scale medical studies internationally have found one after another that long-term use of antioxidant vitamins or nutritional supplements not only fails to help people resist cancer or prevent cardiovascular disease, but may even promote oxidation and be harmful to health.
Greenvines recommends that everyone obtain the nutrients the body needs each day through real food. Try incorporating various superfoods into your daily diet, and gradually you will find that your body becomes healthier. Minor ailments that have troubled you for years may also resolve without medicine. This is the power of nature.
Source: Broccoli Compound Sulforaphane Activates Immune System Defenders in the Body
1+1 is greater than 2. Eating broccoli sprouts together with broccoli doubles the cancer-preventive effect.