Eat broccoli to reverse the damage inflicted by diabetes
August 5, 2008
Eating broccoli could well reverse the damage inflicted by diabetes to your heart blood vessels, new research suggests. A University of Warwick research team has concluded that the key to this process is sulforaphane, a compound in the vegetable. It encourages formation of enzymes that protect the blood vessels, and also a reduction in levels of molecules causing significant cell damage.
Brassica vegetables like broccoli have been linked to a reduced risk of strokes and heart attacks. People with diabetes are more likely to develop cardiovascular diseases like strokes and heart attacks - both linked to damaged blood vessels.
The lead researcher, Professor Paul Thornalley, said: “Our study shows that compounds like sulforaphane from broccoli may help in countering processes linked to the vascular disease development in diabetes. In future, it will be vital to test if eating a brassica vegetables diet has health benefits for patients. We expect that it will.” The Warwick team’s work is published in the journal Diabetes. They recorded a 73 per cent reduction of molecules in the body termed Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS). Hyperglycaemia can cause ROS levels to increase and can damage human cells.
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