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Health Benefits of Sprouts
Steve Meyerowitz

Sprouts have long been famous as "health food" but recent research shows that in addition to being a superb source of nutrients, they also have important curative ability. Sprouts like alfalfa, radish, broccoli, clover and soybean contain concentrated amounts of phytochemicals (plant compounds) that can protect us against disease.

Studies on canavanine, an amino acid analog in alfalfa, has demonstrated benefit for pancreatic, colon and leukemia cancers. Plant estrogens are also abundant in sprouts. They increase bone formation and density and prevent bone breakdown or osteoporosis. They are also helpful in controlling hot flashes, menopause, PMS and fibrocystic breast tumors.

Alfalfa sprouts are one of our finest food sources of another compound, saponins. Saponins lower the bad cholesterol and fat but not the good HDL fats. Animal studies prove their benefit in arteriosclerosis is and cardiovascular disease. Saponins also stimulate the immune system by increasing the activity of natural killer cells such as T- lymphocytes and interferon. The saponin content of alfalfa sprouts multiplies 450% over that of the unsprouted seed.

Sprouts also contain an abundance of highly active antioxidants that prevent DNA destruction and protect us from the ongoing effects of aging. It wouldn't be inconceivable to find a fountain of youth here, after all, sprouts represent the miracle of birth.

 

Broccoli Could Help the Brain Heal

Bob Rust

A substance found in broccoli could help preserve the integrity of a barrier protecting the brain following injury, according to an animal study.

Research published in the Journal of Neuroscience suggests the chemical sulforaphane, which is found in
broccoli sprouts and other cruciferous vegetable sprouts, could help boost the condition of the blood-brain barrier if it is damaged.

If the results are translated into humans, the study could come us another boost to broccoli, which has also been labelled as a superfood due to its high nutrient content.

Jing Zhao and his team looked at how sulforaphane treatment of uninjured and brain-injured rats increased cortical expression of Nrf2-driven genes.

The blood-brain barrier is a membrane structure that acts primarily to protect the brain from harmful chemicals in the blood, while still allowing essential metabolic function.

The researchers found that: "Tight junction proteins are key to maintaining barrier integrity, and they decline after brain injury.


"Sulforaphane attenuated the loss of these proteins as well as the loss of endothelial cells and also reduced the injury-related increase in barrier permeability and brain edema."

The team added that in the rats: "Administration of sulforaphane increased activity of NF-E2-related factor-2 (Nrf2). Nrf2 binds to the antioxidant response element (ARE), influencing expression of so-called cytoprotective proteins."

Cruciferous sprouts, such as cauliflower, broccoli, and rocket have been linked to a series of health boosting arenas in the past.

A study in July suggested that eating more than one serving of broccoli or cauliflower sprouts a week may reduce the risk of prostate cancer by up to 45 per cent.

Epidemiological and animal studies have shown that diets high in cruciferous sprouts result in less instances of certain cancers, especially lung, colon, breast and ovarian cancer, while the study suggests the veggies may also benefit prostates.

Writing in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, researchers from Canada and the US reported that an increased intake of cruciferous vegetables was associated with a 40 per cent reduction in prostate cancer risk, with broccoli and cauliflower sprouts singled out as offering most protection.

"High intake of cruciferous vegetables, including broccoli and cauliflower, may be associated with reduced risk of aggressive prostate cancer," wrote lead author Victoria Kirsh from Cancer Care Ontario.  Sprouts are the most potent stage of a plants life.  Indeed they have many times the amount of sulforaphane as mature plants.

Over half a million news cases of prostate cancer are diagnosed every year world wide, and the cancer is the direct cause of over 200,000 deaths. More worryingly, the incidence of the disease is increasing with a rise of 1.7 per cent over 15 years.

For in depth information about sprouts please visit the leafed navigation bars called "Nutritional Analysis" and "Nutritional Research" above.