Useful properties of sulphoraphane what do we know about it? Sulphoraphane and a powerful antioxidant contained in broccoli, cauliflower and other vegetables. Do you imagine a substance that prevents cancer, helps in its treatment, kills bacteria, removes inflammation, reduces damage to the cardiovascular system and is also found in cheap and delicious foods?
You do not need to imagine it – it exists! This infinitely useful substance is a powerful antioxidant from the group of isothiocyanates, solid concentrations of which are found in broccoli, cauliflower and all cruciferous vegetables. If they are not in your taste – there are tablets in pharmacies, but what are some bites of vegetables in the name of so much health benefits?
What exactly are the benefits of sulphoraphane
ell – huge! Especially at such a price! The results of the research are categorical – cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage and all their “cousins” reduce the risk of cancer, especially colon and prostate cancer. What caused this? Correctly – the sulphoraphane! According to publications in scientific journals (for example, in Cancer Letters of October 2008), sulphoraphane blocks the action of a group of liver enzymes converting nitrosamines into active carcinogens.
Nitrosamines are obtained by reacting nitrites with secondary amines; nitrites, in turn, are contained in sausages, bacon and any ready-to-use meat products intended for durable storage. That is, the consumption of cruciferous vegetables neutralizes the carcinogenic effect of substances taken with other foods.
Along with this, as an antioxidant, sulphoraphane protects the stomach mucosa from the destructive effects of Helicobacter pylori – a gram-negative bacterium inhabiting the stomach and duodenum and responsible for the occurrence of peptic ulcer, gastritis and duodenitis. Some people tolerate H. pylori infections asymptomatically and without impairment, but others experience the above described complications. In such cases, the intake of sulphoraphane – in foods or tablets – has a markedly positive effect, reducing the damage from inflammation and its symptoms.
There are also suggestions that H. pylori plays a role in the onset of stomach cancer – which brings us back to anticancer properties of sulphoraphane! In addition to blocking enzymes that unlock the carcinogenic potential of certain substances, miraculous sulphoraphane inhibits the growth of already existing cancer cells – which is confirmed by more than five independent clinical trials by 2010.
Sulphoraphane selectively destroys cancer cells without affecting healthy – something that can not be said about conventional methods such as radiotherapy and chemotherapy. This finding causes researchers to place high hopes of the substance as a breakthrough in the treatment of treacherous disease.
After such news, probably any other beneficial properties of any substance will be a little lost – a breakthrough in the treatment of cancer is an achievement that overshadows almost everything. It should not be forgotten, however, that the main cause of mortality in the modern world is cardiovascular disease, not cancer. And, as you can guess, sulphoraphane performs brilliantly there too!
Although not so much fanfare, studies conducted alongside those about the influence of sulphoraphane on cancer, reported that the substance prevents damage to later clinical trials, assessing the intake of sulphoraphane as having a beneficial effect on the general health of man.