This superfood can protect your gut, ward off disease: study

health

To Jane Hurts

April 10, 2023 | 7:56 PM

Maybe our parents were right when they told us to eat more vegetables.

new research Broccoli was shown to contain specific molecules that protect and promote gut health and curb disease, further supporting evidence that this vegetable truly is a superfood.

Scientists at Penn State University tested it on mice and found that broccoli molecules bind to receptors that help protect the lining of the small intestine.

They established that when this connection occurs, it “initiates a variety of activities that affect the function of the enterocyte.”

Inside your gut are certain cells that help you stay healthy. These cells include goblet cells, which form a ‘protective layer’ of mucus along the intestinal wall, and Paneth cells, which produce lysosomes containing digestive enzymes.

Researchers have found a connection between eating broccoli and having these types of cells.

A well-functioning small intestine is very important because it does most of the work in the digestive process. Pittsburgh Children’s Hospital.

Other studies have found that eating more cruciferous vegetables, such as broccoli, reduces the incidence of cancer and type 2 diabetes.

“We all know broccoli is good for you, but why? What happens when you eat broccoli?” Gary Perdue, Hallowell Chair, H. Thomas and Dorothy Willits, Agricultural Sciences, Pennsylvania State University wrote in a statement:

“Our research helps clarify the mechanisms of how broccoli and other foods benefit the health of mice and possibly humans. Cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, cabbage and Brussels sprouts It provides strong evidence that it should be part of a normal healthy diet.

To conduct this study, the researchers fed a group of mice a diet consisting of 15% broccoli. This equates to about 3.5 cups of vegetables. per human day.

They also fed a control group of mice a “typical experimental diet” without broccoli.

After feeding the mice different diets, the scientists analyzed the animal’s tissues to determine different characteristics, including how well aryl hydrocarbon receptor ligands, molecules that bind to receptors, were activated. I checked.

As a result, the study found that mice deprived of 15% broccoli had no AHR activity, resulting in “altered intestinal barrier function.”

Specifically, mice deprived of broccoli had fewer goblet cells and protective mucus in the small intestine, shorter food transit times, and reduced levels of Paneth cells and lysosome production.

“The gut health of mice deprived of broccoli was compromised in a variety of ways known to be associated with disease,” Purdue said.