Health Benefits of Broccoli: A recent study by Penn State researchers found that broccoli contains specific chemicals that bind to a receptor in mice and help protect the lining of the small intestine, thereby preventing the onset of disease. May go.
The results provide evidence that broccoli is a “superfood” in the true sense. The study was published in the journal Laboratory Investigation. We all know broccoli is good for us, but why? What happens in the body when we eat broccoli? Gary Perdue said, H.
Thomas and Dorothy Willits Hallowell Chair in Agricultural Sciences, Penn State. “Our research is helping to uncover the mechanisms of how broccoli and other foods benefit health in mice and potentially humans. It provides strong evidence that cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, cabbage and Brussels sprouts are beneficial for general health.” Should be part of the diet.
“According to Purdue, the wall of the small intestine allows beneficial water and nutrients to pass into the body but blocks food particles and bacteria that can cause harm. Certain cells that line the intestine, including enterocytes, which store water and absorb nutrients; goblet cells, which secrete a protective layer of mucus on the intestinal wall; and Paneth cells, which secrete lysosomes that contain digestive enzymes, to help regulate this activity and maintain a healthy balance. help maintain.
In their study, Perdue and colleagues found that molecules in broccoli, called aryl hydrocarbon receptor ligands, bind to the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR), a type of protein called a transcription factor. This binding, they found, initiates a variety of activities that affect the functions of intestinal cells.
To conduct their study, the researchers fed an experimental group of mice a diet containing 15% broccoli, the equivalent of about 3.5 cups per day for humans, and fed a control group of mice a typical laboratory diet that did not contain broccoli. They then analyzed the animals’ tissues to determine the extent to which the AHR was active, as well as the different types of cells and amounts of mucus, among other factors, in the two groups.
The team found that mice that were not fed broccoli lacked AHR activity, resulting in changes in intestinal barrier function, reduced transit time of food in the small intestine, decreased numbers of goblet cells and protective mucus, Decreased Paneth cells and lysosome production and decreased numbers of enterocyte cells.
“The gut health of the mice that weren’t fed broccoli was compromised in a number of ways that have been linked to disease,” Purdue said.
“Our research suggests that broccoli and potentially other foods can be used as natural sources of AhR ligands, and that a diet rich in these ligands contributes to the resilience of the small intestine.”
More broadly, Andrew Patterson, John T. and Paige S. “These data suggest that dietary signals, relayed through the activity of the AhR, may rewire the cellular and metabolic repertoire of the gastrointestinal tract,” added Smith Professor of Molecular Toxicology and Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.