Heart-health Benefits of Broccoli Extract Pinpointed

Lee Swanson Research Update
Heart-health Benefits of Broccoli Extract Pinpointed
September 2009


A new study from the United Kingdom says that a compound found in vegetables like broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower may protect arteries from disease by boosting a natural defense mechanism.

Researchers from Imperial College London (ICL) report that sulforaphane, a compound most widely associated with broccoli, may activate a protein called Nrf2 in arteries. While the protein is normally protective, in areas of arteries that are susceptible to disease the London-based researchers found that Nrf2 is inactive.

"We found that the innermost layer of cells at branches and bends of arteries lack the active form of Nrf2, which may explain why they are prone to inflammation and disease," explained Dr. Paul Evans, from the national Heart and Lung Institute at ICL.

"[Exposure to] the natural compound sulforaphane reduced inflammation at the high-risk areas by ‘switching-on’ Nrf2," he added.

"Sulforaphane is found naturally in broccoli, so our next steps include testing whether simply eating broccoli, or other vegetables in their ‘family,’ has the same protective effect. We also need to see if the compound can reduce the progression of disease in affected arteries."

The tissue of cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage and Brussels sprout, contains high levels of the active plant chemicals glucosinolates. These are metabolized by the body into isothiocyanates, which are known to be powerful anti-carcinogens. The main isothiocyanate from broccoli is sulforaphane.

The researchers used mice engineered to lack the Nrf2 protein and compared their arteries with those of normal mice. Prof. Evans and his team found that in straight sections of arteries Nrf2 was present in the endothelial "lining" cells. Through its action on other proteins, it prevented the cells from becoming inflamed, which is an early stage in the development of atherosclerosis. Known as hardening or furring of the arteries, atherosclerosis is a key risk factor for cardiovascular disease, the cause of over 50% of deaths in Europe and the US.

When the researchers looked at the lining cells of disease-prone sites they found that Nrf2 was attached to a protein that made it inactive. This effectively prevented it from exhibiting its protective properties.

When these cells were exposed to sulforaphane, a re-activation of Nrf2 in the disease-prone regions of the artery was observed. This indicated that the cells’ ability to protect themselves from becoming inflamed was restored, said the researchers.

Wow, this stuff gets better and better! I got some very good feedback on it regarding respiratory detoxification. Thanks for posting

idk how much this relates to hair but...


http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0002568

KAPTUNKRUNK - It relates, there are some other threads on sulforaphane. Based on various pieces of research, it appears to be a very powerful weapon against hair loss.

Here are a few reasons, (1), it reduces the expression of TGF-beta1, which is elevated in inflammatory diseases and is associated with fibrosis, ala cross linking of collagen.

It downregulates the androgen receptor.

It inhibits MMP-9

It is a natural potassium channel opener (think of minoxidil without the sides).

It modulates the innate skin barrier

It activates the antioxidant system (raises glutathione levels).

This stuff does sound amazing. Was reading some reviews of the Jarrows formula. Has anybody been using it with anything to report?

Has anyone ever made raw brocolli a main part in thier diet?
I Consume a raw vegitable juice made from: half a large brocolli, 2 beetroots, 80g of spinach, and 2 big cabbage leaves...
Few days after starting, dandruff compleatly gone! and I can definatly feel it's doing wonders for my body!

But I was thinking juice fasting on just raw brocolli for a week to see if thier is any improvement on shedding rate???

FATE?,

Yes, I grow and eat my own 3 - 5 day old broccoli sprouts. It's easy and I would recommend it. Like some other vegetables you have to chew throughly to get the benefits.

Broccoli sprouts is much better than broccoli.

Cabbage juice which is similar as broccoli sprouts is very beneficial and lots of good information on the internet about it.

rdkml wrote:FATE?,

Yes, I grow and eat my own 3 - 5 day old broccoli sprouts. It's easy and I would recommend it. Like some other vegetables you have to chew throughly to get the benefits.

Broccoli sprouts is much better than broccoli.

Cabbage juice which is similar as broccoli sprouts is very beneficial and lots of good information on the internet about it.

I suppose juicing is even better than just chewing, but yeah, I might start growing sprouts...

No joke, but I get quite high off of what I think is the broccoli and cabbage in my smoothie, weak ecstacy/magic mushroom buzz, but I seem to have a week tolarance to most things ha ha...