Eating Broccoli Might Save Your Life

Dr Liu with PhD student Ivy Guaan (far right) HRI

You should eat a lot of Broccoli if you want to avoid getting a stroke. This is according to scientists from the Heart Research Institute (HRI) in Australia. Their three-year world-first study found confirmed a natural chemical found in broccoli called sulforaphane can reduce the formation of harmful blood clots that can in some instances lead to stroke, as well as improve the performance of clot-busting drugs afterward.

So, your mother was right when she told you to eat your broccoli; although, maybe not for the right reasons.

Sulforaphane is a sulfur-containing compound found in cruciferous vegetables, like broccoli, Brussels sprouts, kale, cauliflower, and cabbage. It’s known for its potential health benefits, including reducing the risk of cancer, improving heart health, and boosting cognitive function.

In certain vegetables, sulforaphane exists in an inactive form called glucoraphanin. When you chop, chew, or crush these vegetables, an enzyme called myrosinase is released. Myrosinase activates sulforaphane, making it bioavailable for your body to absorb.

“After a patient has an ischaemic stroke, they are treated with tissue plasminogen activator (tPA), a type of clot busting medication to slow down the progression of damage to the brain. Unfortunately, it is only successful in 20 percent of cases,” explained Dr. Xuyu Liu, the study’s lead researcher, who holds a doctorate in chemical biology. “What we found in a preclinical trial is that the tPA success rate increases to 60 percent when the medication is given with the broccoli-derived compound. Excitingly, this naturally occurring compound does not cause any signs of bleeding, which is a common side effect associated with blood-thinning agents tested in stroke treatment.”

According to the scientists, this means that someday paramedics could possibly treat ischaemic stroke patients with a broccoli-based medication as well as tPA on the way to the hospital.

The initial testing also showed that once the broccoli-derived molecules were administered they were also able to slow down the onset of a stroke.

Dr Liu believes the drug may have a wider use in diseases where blood clotting or thrombosis has a role.

“We are very excited at having isolated a natural compound that may have huge beneficial effects. Our studies will keep exploring how highly purified compounds from vegetables may have beneficial effects in disease processes.”

“We want to understand how nature is giving us gifts to improve our health. Already we have discovered another compound from a different vegetable that looks promising in thrombotic diseases,” Dr Liu said.