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Broccoli may repair diabetes damage
Broccoli has already been shown to cut the risk of heart disease and cancer but new research suggests Britain’s favourite green vegetable could repair blood vessels damaged by diabetes, too
According to the journal Diabetes, researchers from Warwick University looked at a compound called sulforaphane found in brassica vegetables such as broccoli and kale. They added the compound to blood vessel cells grown in the lab and found that it significantly reduced levels of molecules known to damage the blood vessels while encouraging the production of important enzymes that help protect the cells.
‘We used cells called microvascular endothelial cells which line the blood vessels in the body. By incubating these cells in glucose, we were able to model the same high sugar levels these cells are exposed to when a person is diabetic,’ explains Professor Paul Thornalley of Warwick Medical School and lead researcher of the study. They found that bathing the cells in high levels of glucose led to an increased production of molecules that damaged the cells and also triggered other malfunctions within the cells that caused some of them to die.
The researchers then added the broccoli compound to the damaged cells. The compound appeared to reduce the level of highly damaging molecules called Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS). In people with high blood sugar levels (hyperglycaemia), levels of ROS can be double or triple normal levels, wreaking havoc on the delicate cells lining the capillaries and blood vessels. The introduction of sulforaphane reversed this increase, reducing ROS levels by 73 per cent.
Sulforaphane also doubled the levels of an important protein called nrf2. Nrf2 activates protective antioxidants and enzymes in the body that guard against cell damage.
‘This is the first time such research has been done,’ says Professor Thornalley. ‘We hope our evidence will lead to funds for further research. We are looking at designing a large-scale study of diabetic patients following a broccoli-rich diet. By having the patients eat a daily portion of one of two varieties of broccoli containing different levels of sulforaphane, we can determine whether the benefits seen in the lab can be replicated in humans through dietary changes and also find out which broccoli variety is most beneficial to health.’
But the research is still in its early stages. ‘The results reported here were of studies carried out in human cells grown in different concentrations of glucose so we need to be aware that this is a long way from the real life situation,’ says Dr Iain Frame, Director of Research at leading health charity Diabetes UK.
‘However, it is encouraging to see that Professor Thornalley and his team have identified a potentially important substance that may protect and repair blood vessels from the damaging effects of diabetes.’
Over two million people in the UK have diabetes, with around three-quarters of those type-2 cases. According to Diabetes UK, people with diabetes are up to five times more likely to develop cardiovascular diseases such as heart attacks and stroke.
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Information on this site is for interest only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. You should consult your own doctor about any specific health concerns.
