Posted on 03/10/2024 8:42:59 PM PDT by ConservativeMind
A three-year world-first study has found that a common cruciferous vegetable eaten by millions every day could prevent and treat one of the nation's biggest killers.
In pre-clinical trials, the study confirmed a natural chemical found in broccoli can reduce the formation of harmful blood clots that can in some instances lead to stroke, as well as improve the performance of clot-busting drugs afterwards.
About 85% of strokes are caused by the formation of a harmful blood clot in the brain (also known as acute ischemic stroke).
"After a patient has an ischemic stroke, they are treated with tissue plasminogen activator (tPA), a type of clot busting medication to slow down the progression of damage to the brain. Unfortunately, it is only successful in 20% of cases," Dr. Liu explained.
"What we found in a preclinical trial is that the tPA success rate increases to 60% when the medication is given with the broccoli-derived compound. Excitingly, this naturally occurring compound does not cause any signs of bleeding, which is a common side effect associated with blood-thinning agents tested in stroke treatment. This means we could see paramedics treating ischemic stroke patients with a broccoli-based medication as well as tPA on the way to hospital," he said.
The initial testing also showed that once the broccoli-derived molecules were administered they were also able to slow down the onset of a stroke.
"Not only is the broccoli compound effective in improving the performance of clot-busting medication after a stroke, it could be used as a preventative agent for patients who are at a high risk of stroke," said Dr. Liu.
(Excerpt) Read more at medicalxpress.com ...
bkmk
Is there a specific reason that one should take the supplement rather than just eating broccoli?
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