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You know that broccoli is good for you, but do you know why? Researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles, have found one reason. A compound found in broccoli and other cruciferous vegetables may help boost the body’s immune system in its fight against free radicals. In particular, broccoli can help prevent respiratory inflammation linked to diseases such as asthma, allergic rhinitis and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
The compound, called sulforaphane, increases production of antioxidant enzymes in the airways. These enzymes in turn protect the lungs against all those damaging free radicals we breathe in every day in polluted air, pollen and tobacco smoke.
The researchers also believe that this may go far beyond respiratory protection. “As we age, the ability of the immune system to fight disease and infections and protect against cancer wears down as a result of the impact of oxygen radicals on the immune system," said Dr. Andre Nel, the study's principal investigator and chief of nanomedicine at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA.
"Our study shows that a chemical present in broccoli is capable of stimulating a wide range of antioxidant defense pathways and may be able to interfere with the age-related decline in immune function," he added.
In other words, your mother was right: to stay healthy and fight disease, eat your broccoli.
Sources: Clinical Immunology, March 2009
University of California, Los Angeles
46887 7/2009
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