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More convincing reasons to eat your broccoli
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A US study suggests cruciferous vegetables help to contribute toward better abilities for the stomach to tolerate digestive issues similar to leaky gut and colitis. (Shutterstock/File)
E
ating 3.5 cups of broccoli each day would help promote a healthy gut and prevent various diseases caused by inflammation in the intestinal lining, a study suggests.
Gary Perdew, an agricultural science professor at Pennsylvania State University in the United States, said eating vegetables such as broccoli, Brussels sprouts and cauliflower, could help promote good intestinal barrier function.
As reported by Antara news agency, a recent study suggested cruciferous vegetables helped the stomach’s ability to tolerate digestive issues like leaky gut and colitis.
In the study, when mice ate broccoli with their regular diet, they were better able to tolerate digestive issues similar to symptoms of leaky gut and colitis than mice that were not placed on a broccoli-supplemented diet, according to Perdew.
"There are a lot of reasons we want to explore helping with gastrointestinal health and one reason is if you have problems, like a leaky gut, and start to suffer inflammation, that may then lead to other conditions, like arthritis and heart disease," said Perdew, as quoted on the university's website recently (http://news.psu.edu/story/486322/2017/10/13/research/it-or-not-broccoli-may-be-good-gut).
Read also: Five 'superfoods' that might not be so super after all
"Keeping your gut healthy and making sure you have good barrier functions so you're not getting this leaky effect would be really big," he added.
Good intestinal barrier function means that the gastrointestinal tract helps to protect the intestines from toxins and harmful microorganisms, while at the same time allowing nutrients to pass into the system.
Researchers, who published the findings in the current issue of the Journal of Functional Foods, suggested that vegetables such as broccoli, Brussels sprouts and cabbage, contain an organic chemical compound that helps the body to regulate its reaction to certain environmental contaminants, as well as triggering other responses to toxin exposure.
The process further helps maintain a healthy balance in the gut and immune surveillance, as well as enhances host barrier function. The condition subsequently assists in preventing diseases caused by inflammation in the lining of the gut, such as various cancers and Crohn's disease.
Based on the study, Perdew suggests approximately 3.5 cups of broccoli in a daily dose to obtain its health benefits. (liz/kes)
