Broccoli - Potent Health Vegetable

You've probably never heard of sulforaphane - but you will soon. When your mother told you to eat your broccoli as a child not only was she instilling healthy eating habits, she was introducing your body to sulforaphane, a compound that until 1992 ⁽¹⁾ was one of the mysteries behind why green leafy vegetables are good for you. Broccoli is high in sulforaphane, and holds an incredible secret weapon for improving your health, one that helps in the battle against the ravages of aging such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes.

Broccoli might be a secret weapon against degenerative joint disorders like arthritis according to research released in March 2008⁽²⁾ from UCLA Medical School Researchers, which boosts your immune system response to disease and cancer. Broccoli shares this secret with other plants that can help keep your body strong and your mind sharp. That secret kicks on your body's own anti-oxidant capacities, and reinvigorates your immune system.

The secret of broccoli's potent impact on health lies in the compound sulforaphane.

Sulforaphane was discovered in 1992 by researchers at John Hopkins School of Medicine. Sulforaphane is part of a family of chemicals called phytochemicals⁽³⁾, and sulforaphane was discovered to help the body marshal its resources to fight off cancer in that initial research. In 2003, another discovery was made, that showed by combining sulforaphane with selenium, the healthy effects of sulforaphane were increased by 13 times when it came to battling cancer.

In 2007, researchers at the University of California discovered that sulforaphane also causes the body to increase its own natural production of a protein that triggers the body to turn on the immune system, which, as we age, is produced at lower levels.

Sulforaphane can be brought into your diet by eating a variety of vegetables besides broccoli - brussel sprouts, broccoli sprouts, cauliflower, cabbage, collards, kale, kohlrabi, radishes, turnips, and watercress. Each vegetable has a different level of the precursor for sulforaphane, called glucoraphanin. When you chew up these plants, breaking them up with your teeth, glucoraphanin is exposed to an enzyme found in the plant that converts the glucoraphanin into sulforaphane⁽⁴⁾.

Selenium is commonly found in nuts, poultry, fish, eggs, sunflower seeds, goji berries and mushrooms. Selenium is only needed by the body in minute quantities, and can have toxic effects in high doses, so you should seek advice from your doctor before taking selenium supplements.

The best vegetable source of sulforaphane turns out to be broccoli sprouts according to the UCLA research⁽²⁾. Broccoli sprouts have nearly 20 times the amount of sulforaphane as mature broccoli flowers.

Sulforaphane extracts are available on the market, and doctors typically recommend doses of 400 mcg (micrograms). So far, no adverse reactions to sulforaphane have been found, even at higher doses; however, you should seek a medical professionals advice before taking sulforaphane, especially if you are taking other medications.⁽⁴⁾

One of the disconcerting affects of ingesting high levels of sulforaphane can be flatulence of a particularly pungent variety.⁽⁵⁾ This is because each molecule of sulforaphane contains two atoms of sulphur, which the bacteria in your lower intestine turn into hydrogen sulfide - the compound that give the characteristic odor to rotten eggs. Fortunately, there are dietary supplements that can help combat this embarrassing side effect.

Sources:

1. Zhang Y, Talalay P, Cho CG, Posner GH. A major inducer of anticarcinogenic protective enzymes from broccoli: isolation and elucidation of structure. Proc Natl Acad Sci 1992;89:2399-403
2. Barajas B., Wang M., Nel A. Paper to be published May 2008 in Journal of Allergy and Clinical Medicine, preview courtesy of principal author A. Nel
3. http://www.phytochemicals.info/
4. Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sulforaphane
5. Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flatulence