Eating broccoli may slow down arthritis damage, or delay it, according to a British study of mice. A trial on men is expected to begin soon.
Do broccoli have hidden virtues? In any case, this is what seems to be shown by a British study which claims that these vegetables could slow down arthritis lesions, or delay them. Results published this Thursday in the American journal Arthritis & Rheumatism which are of particular importance since osteoarthritis is one of the main causes of the loss of autonomy in the elderly.
Researchers at the University of East Anglia (Norwich) have indeed been interested in osteoarthritis, commonly called rheumatism. It is an aging of the joints which is linked to wear and tear. The disease mainly affects the neck, back, hips, knees, feet and hands. Women are three times more affected than men. To successfully establish a link between osteoarthritis and the consumption of this vegetable, scientists isolated two groups of mice.
The first who received a diet rich in broccoli and another who had a diet without this compound. And for these researchers, the results collected are final. At the end of the diet, the mice in the 1st group suffered from less cartilage and osteoarthritis problems than those who had not eaten this vegetable.
But why ? According to the British team, it is sulforaphane, a substance released in the body during the consumption of these cruciferous vegetables, which would block the enzymes causing the destruction of the joints, by stopping an essential molecule which is the source of the inflammation. The anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory properties of sulforaphane were already known, but not on the joints.
And these promising results give researchers ideas. For the author of the study, “while one in 5 people over the age of 45 suffers from osteoarthritis of the knee and there is no effective treatment for the disease, this natural compound could constitute a therapeutic avenue. interesting. This specialist has also just started a trial on 40 patients with osteoarthritis in order to verify the possible beneficial effect of consuming broccoli on humans.
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