Broccoli has for long been known to prevent cancer. Besides, this humble vegetable, also helps protect against heart disease, says a study conducted at the University Of Connecticut School Of Medicine.
Broccoli is a very good source of anti-oxidants, vitamins and fiber too. These help to protect the body against the development of cancer, said study leader Dipak K. Das and his colleagues.
For the study, Das and his colleagues fed broccoli extract to lab rats for just a month, after which they measured its effects on the rats’ heart muscle.
The study found that compared to a control group of rats that ate a regular diet, the broccoli-fed lab rats were found to have an improved heart function and less heart muscle damage when they were deprived of oxygen.
These healthy effects on the heart are most likely due to its high concentration of certain substances that seem to boost levels of a heart-protective protein called thioredoxin. However, you must not really cook broccoli too much as its anti-oxidant properties get robbed.
This study has been published in the Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry.