Mothers around the world can collectively breathe a big, “I told you so.”
Vegetables are good for you…and that’s a fact!
A research review just published in the journal Clinical Epigenetics shows that vegetables, particularly broccoli and cabbage, are filled with compounds that can help prevent or reverse cancers and other aging-related diseases.
“Your mother always told you to eat your vegetables, and she was right,” says co-author Trygve Tollefsbol, Ph.D., D.O., a biology professor at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. “But now we understand why she was right. Compounds in many of these foods suppress gene aberrations that over time cause fatal diseases.”
Epigenetics is the study of the changes in human gene expressions with time. Changes that can cause both cancer and Alzheimer’s. In recent years, research has identified specific food compounds that inhibit negative epigenetic effects.
Those foods include soybeans, cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage, green tea, fava beans, kale, grapes and turmeric.
“The epigenetics diet can be adopted easily because the concentrations of the compounds needed for a positive effect are readily achievable,” says lead author Syed Meeran, Ph.D.
Simply sipping three cups of green tea has been shown to reverse breast cancer in laboratory mice by suppressing the gene that triggers the disease. Similarly, a daily cup of broccoli sprouts, has been shown to reduce the risk of developing many cancers.
“Our review article has drawn everything together from global studies, and the common theme is that compounds in the epigenetics diet foods can, at the very least, help us lead healthier lives and help our bodies prevent potentially debilitating diseases like breast cancer and Alzheimer’s,” says Tollefsbol.
Your Word on Health bloggers are now leaving for lunch. On the menu – berries for our breathing and beans for our brains!
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