Generally speaking, regularly consuming cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, cabbage, and cauliflower can protect your heart and blood vessels. A new study from the United Kingdom has found that the secret to these vegetables' cardiovascular-protective effects lies in a chemical substance they contain, which helps prevent cholesterol from forming plaques on the inner walls of arteries.
Excess cholesterol in the human blood can easily deposit on the inner walls of arteries to form plaques. These plaques can cause atherosclerosis, which can lead to excessive narrowing of the blood vessel lumen, insufficient or interrupted blood supply, or the formation of local thrombi, causing myocardial infarction or even sudden death.
Researchers from Imperial College London reported in the latest issue of the American journal Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology that a chemical substance called sulforaphane in cruciferous vegetables like broccoli has a special effect. Their research using experimental mice showed that sulforaphane can activate a protein in the body called Nrf2, which can prevent plaque formation and ultimately play a role in preventing cardiovascular diseases such as atherosclerosis.
The researchers will next study whether consuming cruciferous vegetables rich in sulforaphane alone, without taking medication, can help prevent cardiovascular diseases, and whether sulforaphane can slow the progression of cardiovascular diseases. The researchers hope that this discovery can help people develop new dietary therapies to help prevent and treat cardiovascular diseases.