Broccoli May Help Peopjle with Chronic Lung Disease
New research from the Johns Hopkins Medical School suggests that broccoli could help people with chronic lung disease.
The findings add to the list of benefits linked to the antioxidant-rich cruciferous vegetable, which has already been found to be good for the heart, brain and cancer.
The latest study focused on chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), which is considered to be the fourth leading cause of death in the U.S., affecting some 16 million Americans.
Researchers led by Dr. Shyam Biswal found that the severity of COPD in smokers is linked to lower concentrations of NRF2-dependent antioxidants, which are key components of the lung’s defense system against inflammatory injury.
Broccoli has already been found to help prevent the degradation of NRF2, and could form the basis of new research to further examine its link with lung health.
The key to the vegetable’s protective effects is the naturally-occurring sulforaphane. Sulforaphane was first discovered by scientists at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in 1992, and a raft of scientific studies have indicated SGS (sulforaphane glucosinolate) found in broccoli sprouts to be a long-lasting antioxidant and detoxifier, and a contributor to the integrity of cells, promoting the body’s immune defense systems for overall health and well-being.
In the study, researchers examined tissue samples from the lungs of smokers with and without COPD to determine if there were differences in measured levels of NRF2 expression and the levels of biochemical regulators KEAP1 and DJ-1.
The lungs of patients with COPD showed markedly decreased levels of NRF2-dependent antioxidants and increased oxidative stress markers, compared to non-COPD lungs.
“NRF2-dependent antioxidants and DJ-1 expression was negatively associated with severity of COPD,” wrote Dr. Biswal, an associate professor in the Bloomberg School’s Department of Environmental Health Sciences and Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. He concluded: “Therapy directed toward enhancing NRF2-regulated antioxidants may be a novel strategy for attenuating the effects of oxidative stress in the pathogenesis of COPD.”
American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine Published online ahead of print.
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