Broccoli could cut respiratory inflammation

Mom Was Right: Eat Your Broccoli

Study finds substance in sprouts cuts inflammation linked to asthma, heart disease

A study conducted by the University of California, Los Angelos, claims that broccoli will prevent respiratory inflammation. A compound that is present in broccoli and other cruciferous vegetables may prevent inflammation linked disease such as asthma, allergic rhinitis and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

The compound sulforaphane stimulates increased production of antioxidant enzymes in the airway that protect against the large amounts of tissue-damaging free radicals humans breathe in every day in polluted air, pollen, diesel exhaust and tobacco smoke. This tissue damage can lead to inflammation.

Sixty five people participated in the study. They were given either broccoli or alpha sprouts for three days. While broccoli sprouts are the richest natural source of sulforaphane, alfalfa sprouts don't contain any sulforaphane.

"We found a two- to threefold increase in antioxidant enzymes in the nasal airway cells of study participants who had eaten a preparation of broccoli sprouts," principal investigator Dr. Marc Riedl, an assistant professor of clinical immunology and allergy at UCLA's David Geffen School of Medicine, said in a university news release. "This strategy may offer protection against inflammatory processes and could lead to potential treatments for a variety of respiratory conditions."He added that a "major advantage of sulforaphane is that it appears to increase a broad array of antioxidant enzymes, which may help the compound's effectiveness in blocking the harmful effects of air pollution."

"This is one of the first studies showing that broccoli sprouts -- a readily available food source -- offered potent biologic effects in stimulating an antioxidant response in humans," Riedl said.

The study was published in the March issue of Clinical Immunology.

More research is needed to examine the benefits of sulforaphane for specific respiratory conditions, and it's too early to recommend a particular dosage, Riedl said.

http://health.usnews.com/articles/health/healthday/2009/03/05/mom-was-right-eat-your-broccoli.html