Sulforaphane – Why is broccoli so healthy?
5 servings of fruits and vegetables a day
Although the World Health Organisation recommends taking 5 fruit and vegetable servings a day, we’re all having troubles accomplishing this. In a sample of 5,000 people, during 3 days of follow-up, it was observed that every fifth person did not take any green vegetables in this period.
Broccoli is a green vegetable from the cruciferous family. It is a close relative of cabbage and cauliflower. If you were born before the 1980s, when you were children, you probably rarely ate it, if at all. For many years it was not popular for production and consumption. Fortunately, nowadays things are quite different. There is a growing worldwide interest in consuming broccoli, as an extremely nutrient-rich food. Furthermore, the latest world scientific research shows that broccoli has a significant role in maintaining health. But we’ll talk about that a bit later.
Let’s start with historical data. The history of broccoli dates back to around 2000 years ago. It was produced by the ancient Romans and consumed fresh or cooked. In the 16th century, it was brought to France, later to England, and then in the 18th century it reached America, where it was introduced to agricultural production by Thomas Jefferson. However, it was not until the arrival of Italian emigrants in the United States around 1920 that mass production of broccoli began. Over the past 25 years, broccoli production has grown by an incredible 940% and today 26 million tons of this vegetable is produced annually around the globe.
Scientists have noticed that a diet rich in vegetables from the cruciferous family is closely associated with a reduced risk of developing chronic diseases (cardiovascular diseases, cancer, diabetes).
Why does broccoli deserve the status of “super-vegetable” today?
We know that it is rich in many vitamins, minerals and fiber. It contains vitamin C, iron, calcium, magnesium, zinc, vitamin A and B vitamins.
However, one interesting compound makes it so powerful. Its name is SULFORAPHANE. In 1992, American scientists from John Hopkins University isolated from broccoli a compound called glucoraphanin, a precursor of sulforaphane. When raw broccoli is chewed or when its cells are damaged in some other way, it releases an enzyme called myrosinase. Myrosinase converts glucoraphanin to active sulforaphane. Bearing in mind that cooking broccoli destroys this important enzyme and thus sulforaphane is not produced, broccoli is the healthiest when consumed raw.
We all know that broccoli is healthy, but sulforaphane is what really makes it beneficial for us.
Sulforaphane, a potent active compound from broccoli, has been intensively studied around the world for the past few years. What has been discovered so far?
Sulforaphane affects our body through 2 mechanisms of action:
- It activates NRF2 factor which leads to increased antioxidant defense of our cells. (cell protection)
- It activates the second phase of liver detoxification enzymes (removes toxins)
Sulforaphane has an anti-inflammatory effect and prevents the development of neurodegenerative diseases, protects our DNA, and also shows strong anti-cancer properties.
In other words, broccoli extract rich in sulforaphane can help you with the following conditions and diseases:
- Preventing cancer development – 30-40% of cancers can be avoided with a proper diet and lifestyle, and sulforaphane contributes to the protection of your cells. Strong anticancer effects of sulforaphane have been demonstrated in cell cultures and animal models. Clinical studies are underway, with very promising results, especially in the field of prostate cancer.
- Reducing LDL (bad) cholesterol and blood pressure – sulforaphane has a cardioprotective effect and prevents the development of atherosclerosis, the main culprit of myocardial infarction and stroke.
- Improving blood sugar control
Protecting the skin from harmful UV radiation- Reducing autism symptoms (improves social interaction and verbal communication)
- Improving liver function
- It shows strong antibacterial, antiviral and antifungal properties
- Protecting against air pollution
- Reducing inflammatory processes
- It has a neuroprotective effect (easily crosses the blood-brain barrier and exhibits a protective function in neurological and neurodegenerative diseases)
A daily dose of health in one capsule
If you do not manage to ingest at least 5kg of broccoli a day, if you want to prevent the development of serious diseases, protect yourself and your loved ones, then we offer you a solution.
Sulforafan Extra is a diet product that provides you with a daily dose of sulforaphane in just one capsule!
You know what they say, usually the solution is right at our fingertips – we just don’t see it.
That’s the thing with broccoli, too.
