(31-10-11) Boost anti-cancer properties of broccoli by spicing it up

by Jonathan Benson, staff writer

(NaturalNews) Ample and well-established research has confirmed that consuming
broccoli and other cruciferous vegetables is a great way to help prevent
cancer. But new research published in the British Journal of Nutrition has
revealed that pairing broccoli with other foods and spices rich in myrosinase,
(one of the key anti-cancer compounds found in broccoli) significantly
increases the vegetable's cancer-fighting abilities.

Jenna M. Cramer and her colleagues from the University of Illinois at Urbana-
Champaign's (UIUC) Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition studied and
compared the anti-cancer effects of eating broccoli alone, to those exhibited
when eating broccoli in combination with other foods rich in myrosinase, an
enzyme necessary to convert GRP into SF, without which there would be no way to
metabolize SF.

While broccoli alone, particularly when overcooked, contains little or no
myrosinase, human digestive enzymes and flora are still capable of converting
some the vegetable's GRP into SF. However, when myrosinase-rich foods like
broccoli sprouts are added to the mix, the effect is remarkable, as seen with
the team's final study results.

"To get the effect of anti-cancer benefits, spice up your broccoli with
broccoli sprouts, mustard, horseradish, or wasabi," said Elizabeth Jeffery, a
corresponding author to the study. She added that cabbage, arugula, watercress,
and other cruciferous vegetables paired with broccoli can also do the trick.
"The spicier the better, that means it's being effective."

Essentially, broccoli sprouts and other spices react with substances in cooked
broccoli or broccoli powder to produce SF. And in tests, this reaction results
not only in an added amount of SF created in the bloodstream, but also an
effectively longer period of time during which it remains in the bloodstream to
perform its vital anti-cancer work.

The addition of myrosinase into the equation also causes the digestive tract
to absorb the anti-cancer compounds, earlier in the gut rather than later. This
is crucial because absorption rates in the upper intestine are much higher than
they are in the lower intestine, where most nutrients in food end up being
assimilated.

"[I]t pays to spice (broccoli) up for added benefits and find ways to make it
appealing so you don't mind eating it if you're not a broccoli fan," added
Cramer. "I add fresh broccoli sprouts to sandwiches and add them as one of my
pizza toppings after the pie is out of the oven."

Sources for this story include:

http://journals.cambridge.org/jeffery

http://www.earthtimes.org/health/sp...

News

---

In evidenza

"L'informazione presente nel sito serve a migliorare, e non a sostituire, il rapporto medico-paziente."

Per coloro che hanno problemi di salute si consiglia di consultare sempre il proprio medico curante.