- Flavonoids found within broccoli could aid body’s response to diseases
- Consuming phenolic compounds help to improve human immune system
- Eating the vegetable just once every three days provides health benefits
- Scientists one step closer to creating other foods with mega-doses
Stephen Matthews For Mailonline
18
View
comments
Eating broccoli could lower your risk of having coronary heart disease, Type 2 diabetes and several types of cancer, a new study suggests.
Flavonoids found within the ‘superfood’ could aid the body’s response to diseases, scientists claim.
Just consuming the vegetable once every three days could improve the immune system by aiding inflammation.
And scientists believe they are now one-step closer to creating other vegetables such as kale and cabbage with mega-doses of phenolic compounds.
Consuming the vegetable once every three days could improve the immune system, scientists claim
Geneticist Dr Jack Juvik from the University of Illinois said: ‘Phenolic compounds have good antioxidant activity, and there is increasing evidence that this activity affects biochemical pathways affiliated with inflammation in mammals.
‘We need inflammation because it’s a response to disease or damage, but it’s also associated with initiation of a number of degenerative diseases.
‘People whose diets consist of a certain level of these compounds will have a lesser risk of contracting these diseases.’
Researchers bred two broccoli lines and measured the total phenolic content and its ability to overcome oxygen cells in experiments in the off-spring.
-
The 7 ways to choose a healthy lunch: Eat soup, treat…
Revealed… the 6 foods YOU should eat before a date – to…
How coffee could be your liver’s saviour: Drink shown to…
Why WHEN you eat is just ‘as important as what’: Irregular…
They then searched for the genes involved in generating the compounds in the most promising vegetable.
By identifying the genes involved in creating the compounds, researchers believe they are one-step closer to breeding other super vegetables such as kale and cabbage with mega-doses.
Dr Juvik said: ‘It’s going to take awhile. This work is a step in that direction, but is not the final answer.
‘We plan to take the candidate genes we identified here and use them in a breeding program to improve the health benefits of these vegetables.
‘Meanwhile, we’ll have to make sure yield, appearance, and taste are maintained as well.’
Scientists believe they are now one-step closer to creating other vegetables such as kale and cabbage with mega-doses of phenolic compounds which lower risk of heart disease, Type 2 diabetes and cancer (file photo)
Phenolic compounds are flavourless and stable, meaning the vegetables can be cooked without losing any health benefits.
Once consumed, the compounds are absorbed into the body and sent to certain areas of the body or concentrated in the liver.
Flavonoids spread through the bloodstream and reduce inflammation through their antioxidant activity.
Humans can’t produce their own phenolic compounds, meaning we have to rely on our diets for the health benefits.
Dr Juvik added: ‘These are things we can’t make ourselves, so we have to get them from our diets.
‘The compounds don’t stick around forever, so we need to eat broccoli or some other Brassica vegetable every three or four days to lower the risk of cancers and other degenerative diseases.’
Share or comment on this article
-
Woman punched and kicked in the head in vicious Paris attack
-
Mateen’s ‘gay lover’: Pulse was revenge after threesome…
-
See the moment sheriffs raid Jackson’s Neverland ranch in…
-
Rep. Gohmert almost comes to blows with Democrats at sit-in
-
Two sisters in a Tennessee IHop get into a full on brawl
-
Man fires shots during road rage incident in Michigan State
-
Baby girl not pleased with her dad’s clean shaven new look
-
Shocking video shows man getting buried ALIVE
-
Man who was knocked unconscious by gang staggers through…
-
Cheerleader charged in connection with homeless man death
-
Actor Anton Yelchin dies after his Jeep slams him into a…
-
Chaotic scenes outside Michael Jackson’s 2004 arraignment
-
Michael Jackson’s twisted pornography collection is…
-
Puerto Rican man claims he was Orlando shooter’s gay lover…
-
Female hiker banned from all US national parks (20 per cent…
-
EXCLUSIVE: Donald Rumsfeld says he’ll vote for Trump – ‘It’s…
-
EXCLUSIVE: Mob violence in lawless Paris: Terrifying video…
-
EXCLUSIVE – Sinister watchtowers, dirt-poor ‘comrades’ doing…
-
Who are the mysterious ‘men in black’? Police ask for help…
-
Star Trek actor Anton Yelchin died of his injuries in less…
-
Michael Jackson’s secret underage sex closet: Inside the…
-
Michael Jackson underage sex collection: The photos of naked…
-
Cheerleader breaks down as she is charged in homeless man’s…
-
Floor fight! Shambolic scenes on House floor as Republicans…
Comments (18)
Share what you think
-
Newest -
Oldest -
Best rated -
Worst rated
The comments below have not been moderated.
The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline.
Find out now