We’ve all heard that cruciferous vegetables (eg. Broccoli, Cabbage, Kale, Brussels sprouts, Cauliflower, Rocket) are good for us, but what do the experts say?
In “How Not to Die” Dr Michael Greger includes a serving of Cruciferous vegetable as part of his “Daily Dozen” diet plan for a longer healthy life.
His rationale is that many studies have shown a link between cruciferous vegetables and good health, or reduced risk of disease.
One study for example showed that eating broccoli reduces the number of DNA mutations in smokers, and it’s considered likely that all cruciferous vegetables will have a similar effect.
A key component in cruciferous vegetables is sulforaphane. It prevents DNA damage, and cancer spread (metastasis), and activates defence against pathogens and pollutants.
A laboratory study reported in “Food Chemistry” in 2009 concluded that different vegetables may target different cancers. “Overall, these results indicate that there is substantial differences in the antiproliferative properties of vegetables against tumour cells and that cruciferous, dark green and Allium vegetables are endowed with potent anticancer properties”.
In “The End of Alzheimer’s”, Dr Dale Bredesen includes cruciferous vegetables as a recommended component of the diet in his ‘ReCODE’ plan to avoid the onset of Alzheimer’s disease.
A study reported in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition in 2011 titled “Cruciferous vegetable consumption is associated with a reduced risk of total and cardiovascular disease mortality” concluded that:
Our findings support recommendations to increase consumption of vegetables, particularly cruciferous vegetables, and fruit to promote cardiovascular health and overall longevity.
Link to my post “How Not to Die”
Link to my post “Alzheimer’s Disease”