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A new research case series presents food as medicine as a potential treatment for autoimmune diseases, describing three patients with chronic autoimmune disease who showed remarkable improvement after following a predominantly raw dietary pattern high in cruciferous vegetables and omega 3 fatty acids. The research focused on three women with systemic lupus erythematosus and Sjögren's syndrome who adopted a nutrition protocol that emphasized leafy greens, cruciferous vegetables, flax or chia seeds for omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, and water and included predominately raw foods. All three women reported that nearly all their symptoms of both diseases resolved after just four weeks...

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...

Researchers have found that molecules in vegetables like broccoli or cauliflower help to maintain a healthy barrier in the lung and ease infection. The AHR—aryl hydrocarbon receptor—is a protein found at barrier sites like the gut and the lung. Natural molecules in cruciferous vegetables—for example, kale, cauliflower, broccoli, or cabbage—are dietary 'ligands' for AHR, which means, once eaten, they activate AHR. This research now shows that AHR is highly active in endothelial cells lining blood vessels in the lung. The researchers conducted a series of experiments in mice to show how AHR impacts lung barriers. When mice were infected with...

*Kale is celebrated as a superfood and has been a trendy must-have for a number of years *But there is a new contender: broccolini, a Chinese broccoli hybrid, is all the rage Is broccolini the new kale? Produce and ingredients are not immune to the whims of fashion. Foods also go in and out of style, changing every few years. If you think vegetables are evergreens – pun intended – you’d be wrong. For a time, kale was the must-eat food that was on every shopping list. It was no longer solely for vegan yogis and detoxing tai tais –...

"I'm president of the United States, and I'm not going to eat any more broccoli!" proclaimed George H.W. Bush in a 1990 news conference. America's 41st president disdained broccoli so much that he banned the vegetable from the White House menu. Now 84, Bush may live to regret his broccoli bullying: New scientific evidence suggests that a chemical in broccoli may rejuvenate the immune system enough to ward off common diseases of aging. At the University of California- Los Angeles, Andre Nel and colleagues recently discovered that sulforaphane, a phytonutrient in broccoli, activates antioxidant pathways at the cellular level. Injected...

How Vegetables Cooked Makes DifferenceBroccoli appears to lower the risk of lung cancer in smokers and ex-smokers, according to a new study. Li Tang of the roswell Park Cancer Institute said that cruciferous vegetables don't eliminate the threat of cancer, but they help. "Broccoli is not a therapeutic drug, but for smokers who believe they cannot quit nor do anything about their risk, this is something positive," Tang said. "People who quit smoking will definitely benefit more from intake of cruciferous vegetables." Other common cruciferous vegetables include kale, collard greens, cabbage, brussels sprouts, cauliflower and bok choi. A team studied...

Eating more cruciferous vegetables like broccoli and cauliflower is associated with a reduced risk of aggressive prostate cancer. Several studies have demonstrated an association between eating vegetables and a reduced risk of prostate cancer, but study results have not been consistent and many have not investigated the association among patients with aggressive prostate cancer. Victoria Kirsh, Ph.D., of Cancer Care Ontario in Toronto and colleagues evaluated the possible association in 1,338 prostate cancer patients diagnosed in the Prostate, Lung, Colorectal and Ovarian Cancer Screening Trial. Each of the men completed a 137-item food-frequency questionnaire. They found that eating fruits and...