Now: Eat your Broccoli! Slows down growth of COVID-19, other viruses
Leafy greens are not only good for your health, they may help end the coronavirus pandemic as well. A recent study shows evidence that a chemical found within broccoli and other cruciferous vegetables may offer a potent new way of fighting both COVID-19 and the common cold.
The natural compound in leafy greens which turns into sulforaphane is especially abundant within broccoli. People can derive natural sulforaphane from numerous common food sources, including broccoli seeds, sprouts, various mature plants, as well as sprout infusions or seeds for drinking.
One experiment in the study entailed exposing cells to sulforaphane for one or two hours before infecting the cells with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. They also exposed the cells to the common cold coronavirus. This process led to the observation that low micromolar concentrations of sulforaphane lowered virus replication by 50 percent among six distinct strains of SARS-CoV-2 — including the Delta and Omicron variants.
For the study, researchers conducted further tests using a mouse model of SARS-CoV-2 infection. That process led to the revelation that giving the animals 30 milligrams of sulforaphane per kilogram of body weight before infecting them with SARS-CoV-2 notably decreased the typical loss of body weight seen among infected rodents (7.5%). This sulforaphane pretreatment also produced a statistically significant drop in the rodents’ viral loads within their lungs (17% decrease) and upper respiratory tracts (9% decrease). Lung injuries were also less frequent than the norm among COVID-infected mice not given any sulforaphane (29% decrease).
READ MORE: Leafy greens like broccoli could help slow growth of COVID-19, other cold viruses
Shows hope for cancer treatment
A compound in broccoli and cabbage may help pave the way to a new cancer treatment, scientists say. Findings show that a molecule in these vegetables breaks down into the compound 3,3’-Diindolylmethane — or DIM. Scientists believe the compound can induce cell death in patients with breast, prostate, and colon cancer.
Researchers say several anti-cancer drugs trigger apoptosis in order to destroy cancerous cells. Thus, if the researchers can control this programmable death, it may lead to a new breakthrough in cancer research. The study shows that high concentrations of DIM increase the lifespan of fission yeast. It may sound strange that a cell-killing compound helps an organism live longer, but the study explains that DIM targets cells which are exponentially multiplying out of control — like cancerous tumors.