“Eat your broccoli!”, said Mummy – Defend against cancer

Since we were kids and perhaps even till now, we can hear our mothers urging us to eat our greens. Mothers are always right! Broccoli is a powerful disease-fighting vegetable that contains the ability to defend against various types of cancers such as cancer of the colon, breast, cervix, lungs, esophagus, bladder, and larynx. The ability of broccoli to protect against cancer are summarized as follows:

• Broccoli stems contain higher compounds of glucosinolates that breakdown to form indoles, sulforaphane, and isothiocyanates. These compounds inhibit tumor stimulating hormones and boost the performance of protective enzymes.
• Based on a study at the John Hopkins University School of Medicine, broccoli sprouts contain fifty times more sulforaphane than mature broccoli and is capable of killing a bacterium called Helicobacter pylori which causes fatal stomach cancer.
• Broccoli is high in bioflavonoids such as quercetin and phytochemicals. These compounds prevent unstable molecules to damage the body cells and defend against DNA mutation.

Hence, remember what your mother said, “Eat your broccoli!”.