Broccoli sprouts help prevent degenerative arthritis, a new option besides glucosamine supplements

Did you know that sulforaphane, which broccoli sprouts are rich in, is not only a highly concentrated antioxidant but may also help prevent and delay the onset of degenerative arthritis? Degenerative arthritis has long been a headache for many older adults, with the hands, feet, spine, hips and knees among the most commonly affected areas, and early signs appearing as joint pain and stiffness. Once symptoms are detected, slowing the progression of the disease and delaying surgery become very important.

According to an article published in the American journal Arthritis and Rheumatism, preliminary experiments in mice and humans found that sulforaphane can block the enzymes that cause joint damage, thereby slowing the rate of cartilage destruction in joints.

Scholar: Taking glucosamine for joint pain is useless

In recent years it has become quite popular to take nutritional supplements containing glucosamine or chondroitin, such as glucosamine supplements, to reduce the pain caused by degenerative arthritis of the hip and knee. However, a research report by Swiss scientists points out that glucosamine and chondroitin have no clinical efficacy and cannot relieve arthritis pain; they may simply be a placebo that offers "peace of mind."

A Swiss research team found that over the past ten years, doctors and rheumatologists have increasingly prescribed glucosamine and chondroitin for patients, and many patients with arthritis pain also buy them to take on their own. Global sales of glucosamine supplements reached 2 billion US dollars in 2008, a surge of 60 percent compared with 2003. But after examining 3,803 arthritis patients, the researchers found that glucosamine and chondroitin, whether taken alone or in combination, had "no clinically meaningful efficacy" for joint pain: they neither reduced pain nor helped narrow joint space.
In a report published in the British Medical Journal, University of Bern professor Peter Juni stated even more directly: "Health authorities and health insurers should not pay for these supplements, and should avoid prescribing this medication for patients who have not yet received treatment."

Editor's note: At present, the Bureau of National Health Insurance of the Department of Health of the Executive Yuan provides conditional coverage for a total of 42 medications containing glucosamine sulfate, including glucosamine supplements. Those eligible for coverage are patients over 60 with knee arthritis, or those whose knee arthritis symptoms have lasted 6 months or more. As for "chondroitin," which is often taken together with glucosamine, our country's Bureau of National Health Insurance and the US FDA both classify it as a food rather than a drug, with no therapeutic effect.

Research from the University of East Anglia in the UK also found that sulforaphane, which cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli are rich in, has a clear benefit for protecting joints and bones, and that eating more broccoli may be more helpful for arthritis than glucosamine.

Among the many fruits and vegetables, broccoli ranks among the highest in sulforaphane content, and the content in broccoli sprouts is 20-50 times that of the mature vegetable, so eating the two together works even better. Friends who want to prevent degenerative arthritis should start eating broccoli and broccoli sprouts in big mouthfuls right now! "Food supplements are not as good as dietary supplements." Rather than spending a lot of money on health foods, it is better to start by changing your own dining table and trying your best to consume natural, nutritious foods. I believe your body will respond to your efforts with health!

Reference: Simon Wandel et al., Effects of glucosamine, chondroitin, or placebo in patients with osteoarthritis of hip or knee (Published 16 September 2010)