Whether you are young and passionate about infusing energy into whatever project you have or an elderly person who enjoys spending an amazing time with your grandchildren, it is always desirable to keep a healthy brain. But let's be honest, tons of articles have been dedicated on promoting a healthy lifestyle such as eating fruits and vegetables, doing exercise, sleeping earlier, learning new skills, and quitting smoking, which make the decision of incorporating healthy habits really tough and overwhelming. If you'd rather take small smart steps, consider taking amazing sulforaphane in a daily basis.
Sulforaphane is naturally present in cruciferous vegetables namely broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower and cabbages. It is produced upon chewing or cutting the vegetables and has been proven to have many healthy properties in the body. As most phytonutrients, sulforaphane interacts in many ways with the molecular machinery within cells and tissues, for instance it prevents acute and chronic oxidation of the brain, modulates inflammation in the body, and induces tumor cell death. How does it do it?:
Antioxidant effect
The human body possesses an amazing pro-oxidants/antioxidants balance system that makes it possible to use oxygen to live; however, as everything in nature, such balance can be broken. If it is unrestored, oxidative substances (free radicals) increase in quantity and damage the DNA, lipids and proteins - a condition called oxidative stress that affects the brain as well as other organs. The brain consumes a lot of oxygen and has plenty of fatty acids that can be oxidized. Sulforaphane prevents oxidative stress by activating Nrf2, a protein that turns on some genes that protect the cells from oxidative substances and carcinogens. So why not helping our body combat free radicals in a natural way?
Protection against inflammation
Inflammation is a normal body's reaction to infection, damaged cells or irritants with the purpose of eliminating and repairing the damaged tissue. Acute inflammation is the initial response to a harmful stimuli and is a controlled defense mechanism. However, similar to the pro-oxidants/antioxidants balance system, inflammation can get out of control and is associated to most chronic diseases such as obesity, diabetes, brain diseases, rheumatoid arthritis, ulcerative colitis, and cardiovascular diseases (know more about the role of oxidative stress and inflammation in high LDL cholesterol and cardiovascular diseases here).
Cellular mechanisms can be compared to on/off switches that can be modulated by phytochemicals. Sulforaphane modulates inflammation by blocking NF-κB turning off cell production of many inflammatory compounds called cytokines that ultimately damage tissues.
Keep the brain healthy
A group of researchers at the University of Bologna, Italy is dedicated to partly studying the role of sulforaphane against neurodegenerative diseases. As the brain ages, undesirable plaques made of amyloid beta peptides may accumulate outside the neurons, affecting their normal activity and provoking cognitive disorders. Such accumulation is due to several reasons such as oxidative stress, production of abnormal proteins in the cells, and failure to destroy damaged proteins. Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, sclerosis and multiple sclerosis are actually associated to oxidative stress. Interestingly, sulforaphane protects neurons by fighting oxidative stress and stimulating the elimination of proteins that are no longer necessary; therefore, undesirable plaques do not accumulate outside the cells. Moreover, sulforaphane was recently found to promote neuron survival and growth by stimulating the production of a protein called brain derived neurotrophic factor (BNDF)! This could also explain how it prevents brain damage secondary to trauma and injuries.
So why waiting until we have brain fog? There are many reasons for consuming more sulforaphane now, so make sure you never miss your daily dose by eating at least 1 cup of broccoli a day or 1.5 cups of Brussel sprouts.
You don't like broccoli or Brussel sprouts? Other foods that contain sulforaphane are boy choy, kale, collards, mustard, radish, arugula and watercress. You can prepare fresh and delicious salads 4-5 times a week with all of them and your brain will say thank you, thank you, thank you.
If you want to know more about the benefits of sulforaphane you should definetely read the published studies of Cristina Angeloni and her colleagues at University of Bologna, Italy. They are generating very valuable information in this area that I bet will make you become a sulforaphane fan.
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