How Broccoli Helps Promote a Healthy Lifestyle
Nutrient Content
Vitamins
Excellent Source of:
- Vitamin C – 135%
- Vitamin K – 116%
Good Source of:
- Folate – 13%
Also a Source of:
- Vitamin B6 – 8%
- Riboflavin – 6%
- Vitamin E – 4%
- Thiamin – 4%
Minerals
Good Source of:
- Manganese – 10%
Also a Source of:
- Potassium – 8%
- Phosphorus – 6%
- Magnesium – 5%
- Calcium – 4%
- Iron – 4%
Other
Also a Source of:
- Fiber – 9%
- Antioxidants – Lutein, zeaxanthin, glucosinolates, isothiocyanates
*Nutritional Info From (1)
How Broccoli Prevents Chronic Disease
Broccoli contains a number of compounds that help improve your long-term prognosis for chronic disease.
How Broccoli Prevents Cancer
Broccoli is considered a cruciferous vegetable like leafy greens and cauliflower. Research has shown that consumption of cruciferous vegetables reduces your risk for several cancers, such as lung and colorectal cancers. (2)
- There are a number of sulfur-containing compounds in broccoli, including glucosinolates and isothiocyanates, that promote detoxification and protect animals from cancer.
- These compounds have been studied in the prevention of almost every cancer, including breast, blood, colon, lung, and prostate cancers. (3) Further studies are needed to understand these current results definitively. However, current studies are showing promising results.
- Broccoli is also packed in other antioxidants like kaempferol and gallic acid. (4) Antioxidants protect us from free radicals that damage our cells and lead to cancer by neutralizing them at the source. This preventative effect minimizes damage to our tissues.
How Broccoli Prevents Cardiovascular Disease
Vegetables are an excellent resource for preventing cardiovascular diseases and are recommended to be consumed daily to prevent major cardiovascular events like heart attack and stroke. (5)
- Broccoli has strong anti-inflammatory characteristics, which may help reduce cardiovascular disease risk. Chronic inflammation has been shown to increase cardiovascular disease risk. Therefore, dietary consumption of broccoli can help reduce inflammatory biomarkers. (10)
- One study showed that individuals who consumed broccoli at least 4 times a week were at a lower risk of hypertension than those that consumed them less than once per month. (6)
- The sulfur compounds previously mentioned also help to reduce LDL cholesterol levels. (7) When LDL cholesterol is absorbed into the bloodstream at high amounts, the cholesterol can get stuck to our blood vessel walls and block the flow of blood. Eventually, this can lead to a heart attack or stroke.
- One cup of broccoli provides you with over 100% of your daily dose of vitamin K. Vitamin K helps to prevent blood clots, which keeps your blood flowing freely. (14)
How Broccoli Prevents Diabetes
Broccoli is an excellent resource for diabetes prevention. Broccoli is a good fiber source, contains almost no calories, and is very limited in its sugar content. Therefore, broccoli is considered low glycemic, which means that it doesn’t raise our blood sugar levels significantly. High levels of sugar in our blood put a lot of stress on our bodies to produce insulin. Eventually, our body becomes resistant to insulin and cannot move glucose into the cells effectively. Foods like broccoli fill you up quicker and slow digestion to prevent these problems from occurring.
Broccoli Promotes a Number of Health Benefits
How Broccoli Promotes Digestion
Broccoli contains fiber and is rich in water content, which helps aid your digestion by promoting regular bowel movements. (11) Broccoli also has a positive impact on our gut microbiome. One study showed that the effects of broccoli consumption on gut bacteria improved endocrine function and metabolism. (12)
How Broccoli Promotes Immune Health
One cup of broccoli provides you with more than your daily dose of vitamin C. Vitamin C supports a number of immune system functions to help our bodies fight off foreign pathogens. (13)
How Broccoli Promotes Vision
Broccoli contains the antioxidants, lutein and zeaxanthin, which are crucial to protect our eyes from damage. The chemicals help to prevent age-related macular degeneration or loss of vision associated with old age. (15)
How Broccoli Promotes Healthy Aging
One sulfur compound in broccoli that has been shown to have promising results for healthy aging of our skin is sulforaphane. Sulforaphane protects our skin from environmental exposure and has been shown to promote a number of mechanisms that deteriorate as we age. (16) Further research must be conducted to confirm these findings.
As mentioned previously, broccoli is loaded in vitamin C. Vitamin C is a nutrient that is not very common in many vegetables. Vitamin C acts as an antioxidant in skin cells by preventing damage from free radicals like UV rays. Vitamin C also promotes collagen formation, which is essential to skin health. (17)
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