Broccoli Plant Compound Detoxifies Air Pollutants in the Body

John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore, MD has just released the results of a new study on the benefits of broccoli.

Study participants from one of the most polluted regions in China who consumed half a cup of broccoli sprout beverage were shown to excrete high levels of benzene and acrolein – a known human carcinogen and lung irritant, respectively.

Researchers note that broccoli is a rich source of glucoraphanin – a compound that generates sulforaphane when the vegetable is chewed or the beverage is swallowed. Sulforaphane increases enzymes that improve the body’s ability to get rid of pollutants in the body, which is why the study participants exhibited significantly high levels of excreted benzene and acrolein.

For 12 weeks, the research team studied 291 participants who lived in a rural farming community in Jiangsu Province, China. This is an area about 50 miles north of Shanghai – a heavily industrialized region of the country. Their urine and blood samples were taken during the trial to assess measurements of inhaled air pollutants.