Health & Medicine - Posted by Phyllis Picklesimer-Illinois on Monday, January 31, 2011 12:45 - 5 Comments 
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(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...How to get the best out of broccoli
The way broccoli is prepared and consumed matters, according to a new study that finds pairing it with broccoli sprouts can make its anti-cancer effect almost twice as powerful.
U. ILLINOIS (US) — Pairing broccoli with broccoli sprouts may double the vegetable’s anti-cancer qualities, but overcooking it can be the kiss of death for its health benefits.
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“Broccoli, prepared correctly, is an extremely potent cancer-fighting agent—three to five servings a week are enough to have an effect,” says Elizabeth Jeffrey, professor of nutrition at the University of Illinois.
“To get broccoli’s benefits, though, the enzyme myrosinase has to be present; if it’s not there, sulforaphane, broccoli’s cancer-preventive and anti-inflammatory component, doesn’t form.”
Overcooking broccoli destroys myrosinase, Jeffrey says—and powder supplements often don’t contain it. “Steaming broccoli for two to four minutes is the perfect way to protect both the enzyme and the vegetable’s nutrients.”
The study was published in the journal Nutrition and Cancer.
Jeffrey and Jenna Cramer, co-author of the study, hypothesized that myrosinase from the sprouts would enhance sulforaphane formation and absorption from the broccoli powder if the two were eaten together.
In a small pilot study, they recruited four healthy men who ate meals that contained broccoli sprouts alone, broccoli powder alone, or a combination of the two. The researchers then measured levels of sulforaphane metabolites in the mens’ blood and urine after feeding.
“We were looking at biomarkers—plasma and urine levels—that are associated with cancer prevention,” Cramer says. Three hours after feeding, a definite synergistic effect was noted between the powder and the sprouts.
“We saw almost a twofold increase in sulforaphane absorption when sprouts and powder were eaten together. It changed the way the subjects metabolized the powder. We saw plasma and urine metabolites much earlier and at much higher levels than when either was eaten alone,” Jeffery says.
This indicates that myrosinase from the broccoli sprouts produced sulforaphane not only from the sprouts but also from the precursor present in the broccoli powder.
Other foods that contain sulforaphane and can be teamed with broccoli to boost its benefits are mustard, radishes, arugula, and wasabi.
Caudill Seed Company funded the research and provided broccoli products.
More news from University of Illinois: http://www.aces.uiuc.edu/news/
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5 Comments
anonymous
The percentages get confusing because of the actual doses (which weren’t in the abstract)…..the sprout only group was 70 micromol, powder was 120 micromol and the combination was 190 umol. So, yes, the percentage of the combo was less than the sprouts because the dose was higher, but the absolute amount recovered was greater in the combination group than either the sprout or powder. Additionally, metabolites were detected much earlier in the combination and sprout meals than in the powder showing that the added myrosinase from the sprouts aided the metabolism of the powder. The data in the urine didn’t show synergy, but the plasma did. Interestingly, the metabolites were detected in the plasma at a much greater extent than from either meal alone or what would be expected from adding the two. (At 3 hours post consumption, powder was approx 0.2 micromolar, sprout 0.9 micromolar and conbination 2.1 micromolar). Hope that helps.
Thanks for clarifying……I supposed that there must be more to it than what I had read.
I prefer my broccoli raw. Has there been any studies of just raw compared to the cooked, sprouts, and/or powder?
anonymous
Raw is pretty good. It is much better than cooked because it still has a necessary enzyme that is killed when broccoli is over-cooked. That said, it is also better than powder because the powder (or glucoraphanin supplement) also lacks the necessary enzyme. However, broccoli sprouts may be more beneficial than mature broccoli simply because the contain 10-100 times the amount of sulforaphane (cancer-preventative compound)! They’re available at most grocery stores and are delicious fresh on sandwiches or salads. Right now, the best way to prepare broccoli for the biggest cancer-preventative punch is steaming for about 2-3 minutes (which won’t be long enough or hot enough to kill the enzyme) or eat the broccoli or broccoli sprouts fresh/raw.
I looked at the abstract of the study. I may be missing something. The sprout only group showed a 74% increase. The combination (same amount of sprouts plus powder) showed a 49% increase. The powder only showed a 19% increase. The conclusion stated combining broccoli sprouts with the broccoli powder enhanced SF absorption from broccoli powder (19% to 49%). It could also be stated that combining powder with sprouts decrease the benefit of sprouts alone (74% to 49%), as it was stated that the “both” dose included the SAME 2 grams of sprouts given for the sprout only group plus powder.