Broccoli, good for the lungs
This vegetable, the richest in antioxidants, may help people suffering from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
COPD, obstructive lung disease, along with cancer and cardiovascular disease, a consequence of smoking. Under the theme "Breathless, but not helpless, just held COPD Day, an event that aims to prevent this disease all over the world. In this line, U.S. researchers say the broccoli as rich in substances capable of regulating the amount of key components in the epithelial defense system of the lungs.
Broccoli is classified as a beneficial food for the heart and brain, and its high antioxidant content is part of the list of products capable of assisting in the fight against degenerative diseases. The latest study published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine adds to a more comprehensive curriculum of this vegetable. In addition to heading the list of anticancer plant, it seems that has some substance capable of regulating the number of components Key in the epithelial defense system of the lungs.
inflammation Antioxidants and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is the fifth leading cause of death in our country and, according to estimates by the World Health Organization in 2030 will be the cause of 7.8% of all deaths worldwide, only surpassed by cancer and cardiovascular disease. The snuff is one of the biggest culprits in the development and expansion of the degenerative disease and this is the reason that many investigations are aimed at finding a remedy to decrease its increasing prevalence.
Researchers at Johns Hopkins Medical School (USA) have discovered that the severity of COPD in smokers is linked to a decrease in a type of antioxidants present in lung tissues, dependent on a substance called NRF2, a key pulmonary defense system against inflammation. The nexus linking COPD broccoli and sulforaphane, a potent antioxidant present in this vegetable in sufficient quantities to prevent, in part, the inflammatory process of damaged tissues in the lung.
This study demonstrates the ability of sulforaphane to restore depleted levels of NRF2, as it reduces the action of one of its major inhibitor, the KEAP1. It has also been observed both in vitro and in vivo, in tissues of diseased lungs, that improving levels of NRF2 counteract other negative effects of snuff. According to Peter Barnes, a member of the National Heart and Lung Institute in London, "therapy directed at increasing NRF2-dependent antioxidants could be a novel strategy to mitigate the effects of oxidative stress in the pathogenesis of COPD."
Sulforaphane: a gateway to research
The antioxidant sulforaphane was discovered in 1992 by researchers from John Hopkins University School of Medicine, and since then has been left to dig into their properties. Is classified as a highly active plant chemicals called glucosinolates, which are metabolized in the body and converted into isothiocyanates, anticarcinogens containing sulfur and carrying much of the flavor and aroma of cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage or Brussels sprouts, among others.
We have studied the action of diets rich in sulforaphane, administered to mice exposed to harmful substances, and its relation to lung cancer. According to investigators, the most critical stage in the progression of this cancer is one in which tumors become malignant. It is precisely this stage has been observed as well inhibited "in mice fed diets with high proportions sulforaphane.
While research work on these compounds to reach the scientific evidence, the production companies and dietary supplements and pills designed broccoli extract containing specific doses of glucosinolates. In the opinion of professionals and Bridget Bennett, nutritionist specialist in oncology at Beth Israel Medical Center in New York (USA), "there is a need for further research, because current studies have been conducted in the laboratory, no experiments on humans and can not be said that the antioxidants in broccoli that would work the same in the test tube. "
COPD IN SPAIN
chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a consequence of inflammatory lung disease that is mainly due to inhalation of smoke snuff and is characterized by an increasing difficulty of the passage of air through the bronchi. Chronic bronchitis or emphysema are the most frequent manifestations. According to data published by the National Institute of Statistics in 2004, it is estimated that every year in Spain more than 18,000 people with COPD, which means that it is the fifth leading cause of death among men and seventh among women.
When comparing the figures with previous years the trend in incidence of the disease is rising. IBERPOC study designed to measure the prevalence and changes in the distribution of COPD in Spain, pointing to an incidence of 9.1%, a figure that will rise in coming years.
"an historic moment in which there are more smokers than ever, and the western population has experienced a population increase of the elderly and there is an expansion of the pollution to which people are increasingly exposed," says Ciro Casanova, pulmonologist Member of the English Society of Pneumology and Thoracic Surgery, SEPAR.
Source:
By Elena Piñeiro
http://www.consumer.es
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