Eating Broccoli Increases Memory Power And This Common Food Prevents Cancer!

Eating Broccoli Increases Memory Power And This Common Food Prevents Cancer!

Many people reject broccoli because of its bitter and spicy taste. But the chemicals that create these flavors have health benefits that include protection from many types of cancer - making these vegetables a great food to eat.

You already know it is healthy, but did you know it can protect against prostate, lung, colon, cervical, pancreatic, and breast cancers?

There are even positive results for people who already have cancer. In a 2012 study, breast cancer survivors who ate high amounts of cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli had significantly reduced recurrence rates and death rates.

What's Healthy About Broccoli?

When you cut or chew a piece of broccoli, you start a chain reaction: an enzyme called myrosinase breaks down chemicals in broccoli cells called glucosinolates. The by-product is an organic compound called sulforaphane, which is found in all cabbage or cruciferous vegetables, but is especially rich in broccoli. Sulforaphane contains sulfur and is partly responsible for broccoli's pungent aroma and taste.

Sulforaphane benefits the body in several ways: it inhibits the activity of an enzyme called HDAC, which can interfere with the activity of beneficial genes, and it also blocks the formation of fibers that allow cancer cells to divide, thereby preventing these cells from multiplying. And while the formation of cancer cells normally overrides a process called DNA methylation, which is essential for normal cell development, sulforaphane reactivates it.

In addition to sulforaphane, broccoli is rich in plant secondary substances, fiber, folic acid, minerals, and vitamins, especially vitamins C, K, and A.

Benefits Of Broccoli

Experts offer to eat about 150 grams of broccoli per day to get the full nutritional benefits. If you can’t handle this amount, try 2 tablespoons of broccoli sprouts a day, instead, they contain up to 50 times more protective compounds than mature plants.

Most broccoli supplements are ineffective because of a deficiency in the critical enzyme myrosinase. So skip the health food stores and stick to the grocery store for this one.

Medical Research on Sulforaphane

About 20 years ago, researchers discovered that sulforaphane had several important effects on cancer cells in animals.

At the time, the idea of ​​preventing cancer was controversial. But it made sense to the researchers. They knew that every living plant contains chemicals that protect them from vicious attacks by predators and infections, and he believed that by eating fruits and vegetables, humans too could benefit from these disease-fighting mechanisms. 

The researchers focused on Brassica and tested more than a dozen vegetables for beneficial compounds. They found that sulforaphane in particular, when added to cultured mouse liver cells, stimulated the cells' ability to neutralize cancer-causing chemicals.