Broccoli is a member of the cauliflower family or a Brassica. It is a diverse super food that is delicious when steamed or can be finely chopped and sprinkled on food for added nutrition. Juicing is a great way to get the most out of this amazing food. By drinking broccoli juice daily, we can prevent disease and transform our health.
Broccoli juice contains high levels of Vitamin C, Vitamin B, fiber, zinc, folic acid, magnesium, iron and beta-carotene (an important antioxidant). It is a potent immune system booster which can help to counteract diseases such as cancer, stomach ulcers and infection.
Broccoli
Broccoli juice offers a whole array of amazing benefits that help us to enjoy optimum health. It contains glucoraphanin that converts into sulphoraphane, a powerful anticancer agent. It contains isothyocyanate, the chemical that activates our natural cancer inhibiting genes. The sprouted seeds and the broccoli juice help to fight prostate cancer. It contains compounds that help to detox the liver from cancer causing toxins.
With high levels of selenium and fiber, the juice of Broccoli offers protection from stomach and bowel cancer.
Broccoli juice contains compounds that protect cells from ultraviolet light. It helps to increase the production of protective enzymes that protect cells against different aspects of UV damage by working inside the cells. It helps in prevention of skin cancer.
Glucoraphanin present in the broccoli juice promotes antioxidant defenses in the body that help lower blood pressure and harmful inflammation in the heart and arteries.
The phytochemical sulforaphane helps the body defend against H. pylori, a bacteria that causes gastrointestinal problems. Thus, it helps to prevent stomach ulcers and painful bloating.
Broccoli
Broccoli juice contains fibers which help to maintain a healthy gastrointestinal GI tract. It reduces cholesterol levels in the blood. Calcium present in the Broccoli juice promotes healthy bones and helps to burn fat. It decreases the production of cortisol, which is a stress hormone, relating to food cravings and stomach fat.
Other Benefits of Broccoli:
*Contains folic acid that is needed for the normal growth of the tissue. This is good for pregnant woman.
*Helps to get relief from cold symptoms, since it contains Vitamin C, which is an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory.
*Assists the body in absorbing iron.
*It helps to prevent osteoporosis, since it contains large amount of calcium.
By combining Broccoli juice and its various nutritional benefits with other super food juices, we can even create greater radiance and disease free health. Celery, cucumbers, ginger and kale are some of the healthiest foods for juicing. A little carrot and apple can naturally sweeten the juice, making it more palatable and enjoyable.
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“Broccoli could stop breast cancer spreading,” according to the Daily Mail. The newspaper says that sulforaphane, a chemical found in the “green superfood”, targets the cells that fuel the growth of tumours.
This valuable laboratory research has found that sulforaphane, appears to have anti-cancer properties. In human breast cancer cells in a laboratory, and in mice injected with cancer cells, treating cells with sulforaphane was found to prevent the growth of breast cancer stem cells and thus halt the tumour’s progression.
These findings will undoubtedly lead to further testing of the anti-cancer properties of sulphoraphane and its potential to target cancer stem cells. Current chemotherapy and radiotherapy regimes are reportedly incapable of doing this. However, this research is in the very early stages, and there are no immediate implications for breast cancer treatment or prevention. It cannot be assumed that eating broccoli has the same effect as applying sulforaphane directly to cancer cells in a laboratory. A lot more research is needed to ascertain this.
Where did the story come from?
Yanyan Li and colleagues from the University of Michigan and Ohio State University carried out this research. The study was funded by the University of Michigan Cancer Center Research Grant, and the University of Michigan Cancer Center Core Grant. The study was published in the peer-reviewed medical journal Clinical Cancer Research.
This research has generally been well represented by the Daily Mail. However, people should not be confused into thinking that these laboratory findings mean that eating broccoli is likely to stop cancer in its tracks.
What kind of research was this?
This was a laboratory study, which has aimed to examine how cancer stem cells in breast cancer are affected by sulforaphane, a natural chemical found in broccoli and broccoli sprouts. The potential for the compounds in broccoli and other cruciferous vegetables to prevent cancer has been frequently studied. Sulforaphane is believed to ‘block’ the conversion of pro-carcinogen chemicals into carcinogens, enhance their breakdown in the body, and also ‘suppress’ the growth of cancerous cells. Several cancers, including breast cancer, are believed to be initiated by the growth of a group of cancer stem cells that continuously renew and change into different cell types. These cancer stem cells are believed to be involved in cancer relapse and resistance to treatment.
This particular research involved applying sulforaphane to breast cancer cells in a laboratory, and looking at the chemical’s effect on cell growth. This is valuable research, but it must be interpreted in this context. Applying the compound directly to the cells outside of the body and injecting the compound into mouse models cannot be assumed to be comparable to eating broccoli. This early, speculative research has no immediate implications for cancer treatment or prevention.
What did the research involve?
The researchers obtained and cultured two different breast cancer cell lines called MCF7 and SUM159, of which the latter is negative for the presence of oestrogen and progesterone receptors. They treated both cell lines with increasing concentrations of sulforaphane. They used various different laboratory methods to assess the number of living cancer cells found after 48 hours of incubation with protein and sulforaphane, and looked at the activity of an enzyme called aldehyde dehydrogenase, which is believed to ‘enrich’ cancer stem cells.
They also carried out a process called a ‘mammosphere formation assay’, which promotes the growth of breast cancer stem cells. They looked at how this was affected by seven days incubation with sulforaphane.
In a separate part of the experiment, the researchers then injected SUM159 cancer cells into the mammary glands of immuno-deficient female mice. After two weeks of tumour growth, they divided the mice into two groups. One group received daily injections of a sulforaphane solution over a further period of two weeks, and another group was injected with a ‘control’ salt solution.
After this time, they extracted the tumours from the mice and examined how cancer stem cells were affected. They then re-implanted living cancer cells extracted from the sulforaphane-treated and control-treated tumours into a secondary group of mice to monitor how the tumours grew.
What were the basic results?
The researchers found that incubating breast cancer cell lines with sulforaphane reduced the size and number of breast cancer stem cells. It also reduced the number of cells that were positive for the aldehyde dehydrogenase enzyme thought to enrich cancer stem cells. In the mice, daily injection with sulforaphane for two weeks reduced the number of aldehyde dehydrogenase-positive cells. It also eliminated breast cancer stem cells. When these sulforaphane-treated tumour cells were then re-implanted into the second group of mice, tumour growth was prevented.
How did the researchers interpret the results?
The researchers concluded that sulforaphane inhibits breast cancer stem cells and limits their rate of self-renewal. They say that their findings “support the use of sulforaphane for the chemoprevention of breast cancer stem cells”, and they warrant further clinical evaluation.
Conclusion
This valuable laboratory research has found that sulforaphane, a natural compound found in broccoli and broccoli sprouts, does appear to have some anti-cancer properties. In human breast cancer cells in the laboratory, and in mice that had been injected with these cancer cells, directly treating the cells with sulforaphane was found to prevent the growth of breast cancer stem cells and thereby halt progression of the tumour.
These findings will undoubtedly lead to further research into the possible uses of this compound in preventing and treating cancer by targeting this stem cell population. This is an action that current chemotherapy and radiotherapy regimes are reportedly incapable of doing, and which could play a role in non-responsive or relapsing of tumours.
However, this research is in the very early stages, and there are no immediate implications for breast cancer treatment or prevention. Most importantly, it cannot be assumed that eating broccoli is comparable to applying the sulforaphane compound directly to cancer cells under controlled conditions.
“Eating broccoli and plantain could reduce bouts of Crohn’s disease,” reported The Daily Telegraph. It said researchers have found that certain types of soluble fibre from these plants can help to prevent bacteria from sticking to the gut’s walls, thereby limiting the progress of the disease.
This study looked at whether fibres from various edible plants affected the transport of E. coli bacteria across specialised cells found in the lining of the bowel. The researchers also looked at whether substances called emulsifiers (commonly found in processed foods) altered the transfer of bacteria across these cells.
They found that fibres from broccoli and plantain reduced the transmission of bacteria across cells by between 45% and 82%, while leek and apple fibres had no effect. One emulsifier, called polysorbate 80, seemed to increase the transmission of bacteria across these cells.
This preliminary laboratory study has not shown that eating broccoli or plantain reduces attacks of Crohn’s and the findings have no immediate implications for the prevention or treatment of the disease. Nevertheless, these early findings are of scientific interest and may lead the way to clinical trials investigating whether certain plant foods and dietary modifications could have an effect on disease activity in people with Crohn’s.
Where did the story come from?
The study was carried out by researchers from the University of Liverpool, Linkoping university, Sweden, the University of Aberdeen and Provexis Plc (a company that makes medical dietary supplements and products and that provided the plant preparations used in the study). It was funded by the Wellcome Trust, the National Institute for Health Research, the National Association for Colitis and Crohn’s Disease, the Medical Research Council and the Swedish Research Council. It was published in the peer-reviewed medical journal Gut.
Both the BBC and The Daily Telegraph correctly reported that this was a laboratory study. However their headlines (“Broccoli boosts healthy gut” – BBC) did not clarify the fact that this research used extracts of the vegetable in a laboratory-based setting rather than testing broccoli consumption in people.
What kind of research was this?
Crohn’s disease is a chronic (long-term) condition where there is inflammation of the lining of the digestive system. Inflammation can occur anywhere in the digestive system, from the mouth to the anus (back passage). Common signs and symptoms include pain and diarrhoea (often with blood and mucus) while other effects on the body include weight loss, skin problems and arthritis.
Genetic factors are known to play a role in the development of the disease, but environmental factors may also contribute, such as diet and bacteria present in the gut. This laboratory research aimed to look at whether the uptake of bacteria by gut cells from people with Crohn’s was affected by certain plant soluble fibres from foods as well as substances found in processed foods.
There is a high prevalence of Crohn’s disease in developed countries where the typical diet is low in fibre and high in processed food. The researchers also point out that parts of the world, such as Africa, India and Central America, where plantains are a dietary staple, have low rates of inflammatory bowel disease as well as colon cancer. Therefore diet could be having an impact on Crohn’s disease.
There is a theory that the immune system in an individual with Crohn’s could “overreact” to certain food substances and microorganisms that may be present in the gut. In the lining of the gut there are specialised cells called “membranous” or “microfold” cells (M-cells). These are involved in the transport of proteins and micro-organisms through the bowel wall to the underlying lymph tissue and lymphoid follicles (Peyer’s patches), which are part of the immune system.
Previous studies in people with Crohn’s have noted that they have greater amounts of E. coli bacteria in their gut tissue, and that these E. coli often have special characteristics which make them more able to stick to, invade and live in gut wall cells. These are called adherent invasive E. coli (AIEC) strains. It is possible that bacteria such as E. coli could cause a heightened immune response in people with Crohn’s and be involved in the development of the disease. It is also thought possible that dietary factors could be involved – either by substances in the diet directly causing an immune response, or by affecting the transport of gut bacteria through these M-cells. That M-cells and the underlying Peyer’s patches may have some role in the development of Crohn’s disease is further supported by the fact that the early inflammatory lesions of Crohn’s have been found to lie over these cells.
This laboratory study set out to investigate whether certain soluble plant fibres from foods, as well as substances found in processed foods, have any effect on the transmission of the bacteria across these cells.
What did the research involve?
The laboratory research used strains of E. coli that had been isolated from six people with Crohn’s, as well as five control samples from people without Crohn’s. The plant-based sources of dietary fibre they tested were prepared from broccoli, leek, apple and plantain (a member of the banana family usually cooked as a vegetable). They also included two common food emulsifiers used in processed foods.
The researchers took human colon cells and grew them in the laboratory in conditions which encouraged them to develop into M-cells. They tested these cells to make sure that they could successfully transport bacteria, to show that they had developed into M-cells.
They then carried out a number of tests on the M-cells and the “parent” colon cells that they had been grown from. The cells were grown as a layer a single cell thick in special containers in such a way that the cell layers had solutions above and below them that did not mix. The researchers then applied bacteria to the upper surface of this layer and incubated it for up to four hours. After this time they tested to see how much bacteria had been transported across the cells to reach the solution underneath the cell layer. They then tested the effects of the different preparations on the transmission of E. coli across the cell layers. They applied the soluble fibre or other food substance onto the cells before applying the bacteria and measured whether this affected the transport of E. coli across the cell layer. They also tested the effect of the same substances on E. coli transport across normal tissue samples taken from the intestines of people without Crohn’s. They then analysed all the data, using validated statistical methods.
What were the basic results?
As the researchers expected, more E. coli was transported across the layers of specialised M-cells than across the layers of the “parent” human colon cells. The difference in transport across M-cells and the parent colon cells was greater when they used AIEC stains of E. coli from people with Crohn’s disease than when they used E. coli from people without Crohn’s disease.
They also found that:
* Both the preparations of plantain and broccoli markedly reduced the transport of E. coli across these specialised M-cells (range 45.3-82.6%).
* Apple and leek preparations had no significant effect on E. coli transport across the M-cells.
* One of the emulsifiers called polysorbate-80, increased E. coli transport across the cells, particularly the non-specialised colon cells.
* The plantain extract also reduced E. coli transport across the normal human intestine tissue samples, and polysorbate-80 increased transport across this tissue.
How did the researchers interpret the results?
The researchers say that transport of E coli across M-cells is reduced by soluble plant fibres such as plantain and broccoli, but increased by the emulsifier polysorbate 80. They suggest that fibre supplementation might protect against Crohn’s disease relapse by preventing bacterial invasion of intestinal mucosa, and that the effect of the food emulsifier could explain why Crohn’s rates are higher in developed countries where processed foods are common.
Conclusion
This carefully conducted laboratory study indicates that soluble fibres from certain plant foods can reduce the transport of E coli strains associated with Crohn’s, and their transfer across specialised cells of the bowel lining. It also shows that one emulsifier used in food processing has the opposite effect, by increasing transport.
This is early research aimed at furthering our understanding of how dietary and environmental factors might have a role in the development of Crohn’s. However, the findings have no current implications for the prevention or treatment of the disease, and it cannot be concluded from this study alone that any of these substances affect the development of Crohn’s. The study has not shown that eating broccoli or plantain reduces disease activity in Crohn’s. Even if there was an effect, it is unclear how much broccoli or plantain might be effective, or whether effective supplements of these substances could be developed.
These early findings are nevertheless of interest and may lead the way into later clinical trials investigating whether certain plant foods and dietary modifications could have an effect on disease activity in people with Crohn’s.
Broccoli is known for its anticancer properties but it could also boost the immune system in older people and slow down the effects of ageing, according to new research.
A chemical found in cruciferous vegetables called sulforaphane was found to activate a number of antioxidant genes and enzymes in immune cells. These prevent free radicals from damaging cells.
Free radicals are byproducts of normal body processes, such as the conversion of food into energy. They are a supercharged form of oxygen, which can cause oxidative tissue damage leading to disease – for example, triggering the inflammation process that causes clogged arteries.
Oxidative damage to body tissues and organs is thought to be one of the major causes of ageing.
“The mysteries of ageing have always intrigued man,” wrote chief author Dr Andre Nel, from UCLA in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.
“While we have known for some time that free radicals are important in ageing, most of the past attention has focused on the mechanisms that produce free radicals rather than addressing the pathways used by the body to suppress their production.
“Our study contributes to the growing understanding of the importance of these antioxidant defence pathways that the body uses to fight free radicals,” said Dr Nel.
“Insight into these processes points to ways in which we may be able to alleviate the effects of ageing.”
The delicate balance between pro-oxidant and antioxidant forces in the body could determine the outcome of many disease processes that are associated with ageing, including cardiovascular disease, degenerative joint diseases and diabetes, as well as the decline in efficiency of the immune system’s ability to protect against infectious agents.
“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,” Nel said.
“Our defence against oxidative stress damage may determine at what rate we age, how it will manifest and how to interfere in those processes,” Nel said.
“In particular, our study shows that a chemical present in broccoli is capable of stimulating a wide range of antioxidant defence pathways and may be able to interfere with the age-related decline in immune function.”