Both children and adults make faces when you serve them broccoli? Here is a good argument to convince them to eat this cruciferous vegetable.
Researchers from the American University Penn State have shown that the consumption of broccoli can help protect the lining of the small intestine and thus inhibit the development of diseases.
Broccoli protects the lining of the small intestine
The health benefits of broccoli have been observed several times, especially in the fight once morest type 2 diabetes or cancer. But Penn State researcher Gary Perdew wanted to understand what happens in the body when we eat these vegetables.
For his study published in the journal Laboratory Investigation, the scientist and his team fed a group of mice a diet containing 15% broccoli. This corresponds to approximately 3.5 cups per day for humans. At the same time, other rodents had a typical diet that did not contain this type of vegetable. The researchers then analyzed the animals’ tissues.
They discovered that molecules in broccoli, called aryl-hydrocarbon receptor ligands, activate aryl-hydrocarbon receptors (AHR), known to be regulators of detoxifying enzymes. This binding initiates, among other things, a protective effect on the mucosa of the small intestine.
“Our research helps uncover the mechanisms that explain how broccoli and other foods benefit the health of mice, and likely humans as well. It provides strong evidence that cruciferous vegetables, such as broccoli, cabbage and Brussels sprouts, should be part of a normal healthy diet”explains the expert.
Broccoli: insufficient consumption promotes the onset of disease
The study also shows several disturbing dysfunctions in mice that were not fed broccoli. Their AHR receptors showed lower activity compared to the other group. This resulted in impaired gut barrier function and reduced transit time of food through the small intestine. The amount of goblet cells (cells that secrete a protective layer of mucus on the intestinal wall, Ed), and by domino effect of the protective mucus, was also lower. Rodents in the control group also had fewer Paneth cells (which contribute to the selective permeability of the intestine and are part of the immune system) and enterocyte cells (which participate in the assimilation of water, electrolytes and nutrients) than those who ate broccoli.
“The gut health of mice that were not fed broccoli was compromised in various ways known to be associated with disease”adds Gary Perdew in a press release from his university published on April 6, 2023.
“Our research suggests that broccoli and possibly other foods can be used as natural sources of AHR ligands, and that diets high in these ligands contribute to small intestinal resilience,” he concludes.