Broccoli can help expelling from our body some of the polluting elements present in the air.
It is demonstrated by a research published by Cancer Prevention Research and conducted by Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health of Baltimore (USA) on almost 300 inhabitants (222 women and 62 men from 21 to 65 years old) of a rural community in the province of Jiangsu (50 km north from Shanghai, China), known to be one of the most polluted areas of all Asia.
Working with colleagues of different American and Chinese institutions, researches from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health have administered a special drink with broccoli blooms to a group of people. This drink has some sulforaphane, a natural compost that already demonstrated preventive properties against cancer in animals. The clinic research lasted 12 weeks and underlined that the administration of a half cup of that drink produced a “rapid, significative and lasting” excretion (through urine) of the benzene, a carcinogenic element and of acrolein, irritable for lungs. The level of excretion of benzene is increased of 61% starting from first day and for the whole period of the research, while the level of excretion of acrolein has increased of 23% during the 12 weeks.
Every year 7 million people die because of air pollution and according to World Health Organization (WHO), the atmosphere pollution causes 7 million deaths every year all around the world. In the last years it reached alarming levels in many areas of China. In 2013 the International Agency for Cancer Research has categorised air pollution and atmosphere pollution as carcinogen for the human. Diets rich in crucifer vegetables, such as broccoli, can reduce risk of degenerative chronic diseases.