Posted on 03/21/2009 1:45:29 PM PDT by nickcarraway
Levels of the beneficial, cancer-fighting compound sulforaphane in broccoli are reduced by 90 percent when the vegetable is cooked, according to a study conducted by researchers from TNO Quality of Life in the Netherlands, and published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.
"Consumption of raw broccoli resulted in faster absorption, higher bioavailability, and higher peak plasma amounts of sulforaphane, compared to cooked broccoli," the researchers wrote.
Eight male participants were fed 200 grams of crushed raw or crushed cooked broccoli as part of a warm meal; researchers then measured the men's blood and urine levels of sulforaphane. Based on these measurements, the researchers calculated that while the sulforaphane in raw broccoli had a bioavailability of 37 percent, this dropped to only 3.4 percent when the vegetable was cooked.
Furthermore, it took longer for the sulforaphane from cooked broccoli to be absorbed by the body. Optimal levels of sulforaphane were observed in the blood and urine of participants 1.6 hours after eating raw broccoli, but these levels were not reached among consumers of cooked broccoli for six hours.
The cruciferous vegetables, also known as Brassicaceae, include broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, arugula, Brussels sprouts, collard greens, daikon, garden cress, horseradish, kale, kohlrabi, mustard, radish, rape (canola), rapini, rutabaga , tatsoi, turnip, wasabi and watercress. Numerous studies have linked higher intake of these vegetables to lower rates of cancer and other health problems, particularly when the vegetables are consumed raw.
One of the plant compounds identified as partially responsible for this protective effect is sulforaphane, the main member of the isothiocyanate family that is found in broccoli. All cruciferous vegetables contain plant compounds known as glucosinolates, which are metabolized by the body into cancer-fighting isothiocyanates.
Studies have suggested that sulforaphane may help activate genes that produce antioxidants to clear dangerous free radicals from the body. This effect is believed to be partially responsible for the observed lower rates in breast, bladder, cervix, colon, endometrium, liver and lung cancers among those who eat large quantities of cruciferous vegetables. It is also believed to help protect the immune and other bodily systems from age-related decline.
Sulforaphane is also believed to reduce inflammation, which can transform precancerous cells into tumors and has also been linked other chronic health problems such as heart disease and diabetes. At least one study has suggested that the chemical can even prevent the blood vessels of diabetics against the damage caused by high blood sugar.
The current study is not the first to suggest that most of broccoli's health benefits are destroyed by cooking. Recent research from the International Agency for Cancer Research found lower cancer rates among those who consumed at least three servings of raw cruciferous vegetables per month. This mirrors the results of an earlier study by researchers from the Roswell Park Cancer Institute in Buffalo, N.Y., who found a 40 percent lower risk of bladder cancer among those who ate that many raw cruciferous vegetables.
LOL. I like cake and cookies and buttered popcorn too. :-)
I enjoy broccoli cooked (steamed or zapped in the microwave) or raw with ranch dressing. Yum!
I completely agree.
I’m just jealous I can’t have as much anti-cancer compound as you.
or stuff broccoli in a twinkie and then deep fry the twinkie. The cream filling will protect the broccoli so it won’t really cook. MMMMM deep fried twinkies with broccoli cream filling!
Hmmm, you seem to be having difficulty grasping the nuances of this healthy eating concept :-)
Chocolate is high in antioxidants. Broccoli dipped in chocolate would be fine.
Raw broccoli doesn’t float my boat (doesn’t digest easily), but it so happens that I was biting into a brie sandwich topped with a mountain of fresh watercress as I read this article, so it sounds like I’m getting a good dose of sulforaphane.
They don’t mention how it was cooked or if it matters.
Boiling and steaming allows a lot of nutrients to leave in the water. I love roasting and broiling veggies for that reason ... and for flavor.
dips and sauces to the rescue.
Cooked or raw, I agree with GHWB that broccoli is nasty stuff, but I mix burning hot spicy chutney with fat free yogurt or sour cream and disguise the taste.
If you have an Indian store nearby, they can sell you a lot of hot spicy aromatic sauce things that you can try. I like Indian food so much, I’m going to start wearing saris.
Another point: How much did the testers cook their test broccoli? Steaming for just a minute or two makes it more digestible than raw, yet still sort of crunchy. Overcooking murders vitamins in any veggie. In anything.
Watercress is supposed to have the most healthy compounds of any vegetable.
Ok, you don't have to. But you're missing all the fun at the world renowned Greenfield Broccoli Festival.
Then there's the Gilroy Garlic Festival, the Castroville Artichoke Festival, the Arroyo Grande Strawberry Festival, the Monterey Squid Festival, and
late in the season
the Morro Bay Harbor Festival where folks come to eat the harbor, followed the next weekend by the Big Sur Jade Festival where they eat rocks.
Lot's of fun to be had.
Thanks, but someone else can have my ticket to the Greenfield Broccoli Festival. LOL!
Sorry, unlike a cow, I only have one stomach. So for now I’ll have to continue to cook my broccoli. Besides, before the invention of fire, man’s life expectancy was what? About 29 years? Nope, not giving up my fire!
That’s why God created veggie dip.
Only way I can eat the florets raw is in a broccoli salad that "cooks" in the dressing a few days. Has dried cranberries or dried cherries, ham, cheese, onions, Miracle Whip, broccoli, vinegar, sugar and salt. Basically like a slaw.
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