Broccoli – good for heart and health
I believe, people who lead unhealthy lifestyles are more likely to suffer from different heart ailments and conditions than those who eat and drink sensibly, don’t smoke, and take regular exercise.
Diet, fruits and vegetables play a role in certain health disorders. Based on the totality of available evidence, antioxidants represent a possible way to reduce risks of heart disease. Although it remains unclear whether supplementation of diet with antioxidant vitamins will reduce risks of heart disease, most researchers agree that consumption of fruits and vegetables is an important part of a healthy diet.
Broccoli, a plant of the cabbage family, has proven value in certain conditions like heart diseases, heart attack, and different cancers.
Researchers at British Diabetic Association claim that a compound found in brassica vegetables such as broccol
i could undo the damage caused by diabetes to heart blood vessels.
Researchers in Connecticut are reporting impressive new evidence that eating broccoli may protect against heart disease. Broccoli’s heart-healthy effects are likely due to its high concentrations of certain substances that seem to boost levels of a heart-protective protein called thioredoxin, the researchers Dipak K. Das and colleagues note.
Health effects of Broccoli are not limited to heart. Broccoli has been found effective in certain cancerous conditions like skin cancer, prostate cancer, breast cancer and stomach cancer.
Broccoli is usually boiled or steamed, but may be eaten raw. Although boiling has been shown to reduce the levels of suspected anticancer compounds in broccoli, other preparation methods such as steaming and microwaving have not been shown to reduce the presence of these compounds.
Broccoli is high in vitamins C, K, and A, as well as dietary fiber; it also contains multiple nutrients with potent anti-cancer properties, such as diindolylmethane and small amounts of selenium.
A single serving provides more than 30 mg of Vitamin C. The 3,3′-Diindolylmethane found in broccoli act as anti-viral and anti-bacterial.
Therefore, in my opinion, Broccoli — an easily available vegetable in India — should be added in your meal.
Steam Broccoli, eat it and enjoy good heart health.
Dr. Anil Singhal, MD(Homeo)
Visiting Faculty
Nehru Homoeopathic Medical College & Hospital, New Delhi.
Dr. B. R. Sur Homoeopathic Medical College & Hospital, New Delhi.
Bakson Homoeopathic Medical College & Hospital, Greater Noida.
respected sir,
thanks for the wonderful artical.
i have few queries like – broccoli still comes in the list of exotic vegetables and is not that freely available in india and the quality is also not good.
also Many goitrogens are generally members of the brassica family. These include:Broccoli, Cauliflower, Cabbage, Mustard,Turnips.so, what should be the advice for people suffering from hypothyroidism/ hypothyroidism with heart disease?
Regards,
Dr Renu Pathak
Thanks for this useful information. It is very informative and hence people who will come across this site will gain lot of information about it. I like this site, as it was being useful to me. I will visit this site in future too.
Thankyou Dr. Renu, regarding availability, India is the second largest country in the world producing 5014500 tonnes of broccoli every year, and China is number one producer. Yes, there are issues with quality and availabilty in certain parts of the nation.
One study showed no ill effects when volunteers ingested 40 mg goitrin/day in Brussels sprouts over a 4-week period. Another study showed inhibition of iodine uptake after administration of 50-200 mg of goitrin. Studies in Great Britain estimated an average intake of 76 mg glucosinolate per person per day, with a range of up to 200 mg per day. 2 Whether or how much the consumption of Brassica vegetables contributes to ill health in humans is unknown. The cause of endemic goiter in certain geographic regions may be the result of the interaction between iodine deficiency and certain food components, such as glucosinolates.1
Many nutritional studies have shown that dietary fruits and vegetables, including those in the Brassica group, have a protective effect against certain cancers. In animal studies, glucosinolates and their breakdown products have inhibited tumor formation, although this anti-carcinogenic effect depends on the study design, the type of cancer being studied, whether other dietary components are present, and the timing of the administration of the glucosinolate compound.6
In summary, glucosinolates are known to be goitrogenic in animals, but their role in inducing goiter in humans is less clear. They can be anti-carcinogenic and cancer-promoting, depending on the species and circumstances of administration.6 In general, dietary vegetables, including Brassica vegetables, are beneficial in cancer prevention.
References
(1) Shibamoto T, Bjeldanes LF. Introduction to Food Toxicology. 1993, Academic Press, San Diego, California
(2) Watson DH, Ed. Natural Toxicants in Food. Progress and Prospects. Ellis Horwood Series in Food Science and Toxicology.
(3) Liener IE. Implications of antinutritional components in soybean foods. Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition 1994;34(1):31-67.
(4) Concon JM. Food Science and Toxicology. Part A Principles and Concepts. 1988 Marcel Dekker, New York.
(5) David Lary & Ralf Toumi,The atmospheric chemistry of HCN, CN and NCO,http://www.atm.ch.cam.ac.uk/acmsu/newsletter11/news8.html
(6) Heaney Rk, Fenwick GR. Natural toxins and protective factors in Brassica species, including rapeseed. Natural Toxins 1995;3(4):233-237.
(7) Seawright AA. Directly toxic effects of plants chemicals which may occur in human and animals foods. Natural Toxins 1995;3:227-232.
Source: Wikipedia and EXTOXNET
Thank you sir for answering my queries.
Dr Renu Pathak
Dear dr , you have written an excellent article on H1N1. Do you suggest that arsenic 30 days may be given to school going children as preventive medicine. I am in UAE . If contacted , we will not be allowed to leave the country also. kindly suggest. Dr Peeyush
The quality of the info is what keeps me on this site, thanks!
Wish You a Merry Christmas.
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