Eat Your Broccoli - It’s Good For You
The produce section of your grocery is full of wonderous food that can help you lead a healthy lifestyle.
Now there is evidence that broccoli really is good for what ails you. In a study by Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in the U.S., a team of researchers found that a substance in broccoli may limit the damage which leads to serious lung disease.
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), often caused by smoking, causes toxins to build up in the lungs and the cells are insufficiently protected by normal functioning of a gene called NRF2. But the study found that the sulforaphane in broccoli increases the activity of the NRF2 gene that is responsible for turning on several mechanisms for removing toxins and pollutants which can damage cells.
The study was published recently in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.ÂÂ
In an earlier study, the same broccoli substance was found to protect blood vessels from damage caused by diabetes. Broccoli, along with other cruciferous vegetables such as cabbage and Brussel sprouts, have also been linked to lowering the risk of heart attacks and strokes.
