The Life-Saving Ingredients in Broccoli Sprouts
Although health-nuts embraced raw sprouts during the 70s, it wasn’t until the 90s that broccoli sprouts burst into the mainstream. That’s because in 1992 a team from John Hopkins University found that broccoli sprouts had a cancer-fighting phytochemical in it called glucoraphanin.
They also found that when chewed, broccoli releases enzymes which work together to produce sulphoraphane, which activates your body’s immune system to go into detox-mode.
This 1992 study was followed by the discovery in 1997 that this sulphoraphane was 20 times more concentrated in 3 to 4 day old broccoli sprouts rather than full-grown broccoli. This was written about in the New York Times causing a global shortage of broccoli seeds because of high demand.
Nutrient Powerhouse
Broccoli sprouts contain numerous vitamins including A, C, and E, as well as a long list of minerals and phytochemicals. There is a lot of evidence from large surveys of health and eating habits that suggest eating vegetables like broccoli and especially broccoli sprouts protect you from certain diseases including cancer. Broccoli sprouts are great because they are low in fat and calories and are loaded with vitamins, minerals and fiber.
Broccoli is a cruciferous vegetable which puts it in the same family as cabbage, cauliflower, kale and Brussels sprouts. All of these vegetables are known to prevent diseases including cancer. They prevent disease because they have enzymes (sulphoraphane) that help your body get rid of toxins.
Recently a study was conducted at the University of Michigan Cancer Unit which found that a compound derived from broccoli could help prevent and treat breast cancer by targeting cancer stem cells.
“Sulforaphane has been studied previously for its effects on cancer, but this study shows that its benefit is in inhibiting the breast cancer stem cells. This new insight suggests the potential of sulforaphane or broccoli extract to prevent or treat cancer by targeting the critical cancer stem cells,” said study author Duxin Sun, Ph.D., associate professor of pharmaceutical sciences at the U-M College of Pharmacy and a researcher with the U-M Comprehensive Cancer Center.
The study was conducted on mice but will soon be conducted on human patients. The researchers are currently developing a method to use sulphoraphane in a clinical trial to test its ability to prevent/cure cancer.
Resources:
University of Michigan Health System (2010, May 5). Broccoli component limits breast cancer stem cells, study finds
http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/press/1997/sept/970903.htm
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Why Supplement?
Have you eaten 5-7 servings of fruits and vegetables today? Even if you have there’s a good chance you didn’t get the nutrients you need from those fruits and vegetables.
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“I can do without them, so do I really need to take them?” I have heard this argument more than a dozen times before.
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