401 Sulforaphane [2 January 2017]

Sulforaphane is a beneficial compound found in cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower. I just learned about it watching a 46 minute video by Dr. Rhonda Patrick titled “Sulforaphane and its Effects on Cancer, Mortality, Aging, Brain and Behavior, Heart Disease and More”.

I mentioned the health benefits of broccoli in my very first column back in March 2009 [#001]; recommended eating your broccoli raw in September 2012 [#184]; and encouraged chewing your broccoli to produce sulforaphane in November 2014 [#293]. This column adds information from recent research on the beneficial compounds found in cruciferous vegetables.

Studies show that risk of death from all causes (other than accidents) is reduced by 16% in those eating more vegetables of all kinds, and by 22% for those eating more cruciferous vegetables. The life-saving ingredient in the vegetables is believed to be a group of compounds called isothiocyanates of which sulforaphane is the best known. Sulforaphane indirectly regulates over 200 genes responsible for increasing antioxidant activity and reducing inflammation, important with all chronic degenerative disease. This translates into reduced risk of cancer, cardiovascular disease and aging, and improved brain function.

For example, studies have found that sulforaphane reduces the risk of prostate cancer by 41%, bladder cancer by 51%, lung cancer in smokers by 55%, and breast cancer by 20-40%. And if you already have cancer, taking sulforaphane will slow the progression of the disease. Sulforaphane also aids in the detoxification and excretion of carcinogens such as benzene (from auto exhaust and tobacco smoke).

Most of the all-cause mortality reduction found in the cruciferous study was due to fewer cardiovascular deaths. Sulforaphane reduced triglycerides and oxidized blood lipids, lowering the atherogenic index (risk of plaque formation) by 52%.

Sulforaphane crosses the blood-brain barrier where it reduces inflammation and oxidative stress in the brain, implicated in most neurodegenerative diseases and in traumatic brain injury. Sulforaphane has been shown to improve behavior with autism and schizophrenia, and improve symptoms of Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and Huntington’s diseases, and shows promise for depression and anxiety.

All cruciferous vegetables contain sulforaphane but the best source is fresh broccoli sprouts. The vegetables and sprouts don’t actually contain sulforaphane – they contain its precursor glucoraphanin along with the enzyme myrosinase which converts it to sulforaphane. Crushing or chewing the food mixes the enzyme and glucoraphanin, initiating the conversion process. High heat, as in prolonged boiling, destroys the myrosinase enzyme.

Some glucoraphanin is converted, in the presence of epithiospecifier protein (ESP), to an inactive form of sulforaphane. ESP is inactivated by heating. To maximize the sulforaphane production you want to heat the food enough to destroy the ESP but not the myrosinase. This can be achieved by steaming vegetables for 3-4 minutes or by soaking the vegetables in hot water at 60C, or sprouts at 70C, for 10 minutes. Patrick demonstrates heating sprouts in this video.

Remember to chew the vegetables and sprouts well. About 100g of sprouts provides 40mg of sulforaphane, an optimal amount.

My NY’s resolution is to grow and eat broccoli sprouts. Want to join me?

For more information on this or other natural health topics, stop in and talk to Stan; for medical advice consult your licensed health practitioner.

326 Fermenting Vegetables [6 July 2015]

As a young child I remember my mother making sauerkraut in a 5 gallon crock in a corner of the kitchen. She probably did so as a way to preserve cabbage for winter use, not realizing the health benefits from the bacteria used in the fermentation process.

I recently found a recipe online for fermenting not just cabbage but many other vegetables. And a special starter culture with bacterial species that produce vitamin K2 – an essential vitamin for preventing (and reversing!) both osteoporosis and atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries).

Why make and eat fermented vegetables? They’re loaded with probiotics – the good bacteria of which we are only now beginning to learn all the benefits. One small serving of fermented vegetables contains more good bacteria (about 10 trillion) than an entire bottle of high potency probiotics (and for a fraction of the price!). The vitamin K2 content (approx 500mcg per serving) is an added benefit. So one serving of this food can replace two expensive yet essential supplements.

There are four basic steps to producing your own fermented vegetables.
1. Select, clean, and shred the vegetables: cabbage, carrots, sweet potato, yellow beets, apple, bell pepper, parsley, cilantro, ginger root and garlic.
2. Juice celery to make the “brine” (salt is optional). Use 1 part juice to 10 parts vegetables. Stir in a small amount of the starter culture to the celery juice. Pour the brine/starter solution over the shredded vegetables and mix well.
3. Pack the mixture into glass jars (avoid plastic and metal containers) and tamp firmly to remove any air pockets. The brine should cover the vegetables. Top with a piece of cabbage leaf. Screw lid on loosely, allowing gases to escape.
4. Allow the jars to sit for 4 days to a week at room temperature. When ready, refrigerate but don’t freeze. It will keep for several months.

Introduce the vegetables gradually into your diet, working up to ¼ to ½ cup servings as your digestive system tolerates it. It has the feel and consistency of coleslaw and, I expect, should taste somewhat like sauerkraut.

I have ordered some of the K2 starter culture and we will try our hand at making fermented vegetables over the summer. I’ll let you know next fall how it turns out. Anyone care to join us on this adventure? A jar of starter culture goes a long way.

For more information on this or other natural health topics, stop in and talk to Stan; for medical advice consult your licensed health practitioner.

325 Got Gas? Get Enzymes! [29 June 2015]

My wife Donna asked me today if beans were a comfort food. I replied that they were for me, but not for anyone sitting beside me.

Intestinal gas or flatulence can be more than a social problem. Abdominal gas can cause uncomfortable bloating and can put pressure on the bladder and other organs. Excessive intestinal gas can also be a sign of a more serious health problem like food allergies, lactose intolerance, gluten intolerance, or irritable bowel syndrome.

There are two main areas of gas formation. Upper intestinal gas is usually the result of swallowing too much air while eating or drinking. It results in belching, and can usually be remedied by eating more slowly and not chewing gum.

Lower intestinal gas is caused by eating foods containing indigestible fiber, sugar alcohols or polysaccharides, which are broken down by bacteria in the intestines:
• Beans and lentils contain polysaccharides
• Dairy foods containing the milk sugar lactose
• Cruciferous vegetables: cabbage, cauliflower, Brussel sprouts, broccoli
• Eggplant, bell peppers, asparagus, onion & garlic
• Inulin fiber, often taken as a prebiotic to promote growth of good bacteria
• Fiber and starch in whole grains
• Sugar alcohols like sorbitol & maltitol
• Fructose & fiber in fruit like apples, pears, peaches, plums, mangos

To prevent abdominal gas you can avoid the foods that are causing it, but most of these are good nutritious foods. A better solution is to take digestive enzymes with your meals. Look for a plant enzyme formula with high amounts of cellulase for digesting fiber and Alpha-galactosidase for digesting polysaccharides. If dairy is a problem for you, find a formula that includes lactase. Plant sourced enzymes are not “habit-forming” meaning that taking them will not reduce your body’s own production of enzymes.

Probiotics may also help if the problem is caused by dysbiosis, for example following a treatment of antibiotics.

Sources
Nutrition Action: What Foods Cause Gas?
Mayo Clinic Website
MedicineNet
International Foundation for Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders
– bloating & distension
– controlling gas

For more information on this or other natural health topics, stop in and talk to Stan; for medical advice consult your licensed health practitioner.

201 Winter Tomatoes [28 January 2013]

Tomatoes are the second most popular vegetable in the USA (and probably in Canada too) after lettuce. Tomatoes are also the vegetable we most like to complain about, at least during the winter. While they might look attractive, commercial tomatoes taste nothing like those picked fresh from our summer garden.

There are reasons for winter tomatoes’ lack of taste (and several reasons besides taste to avoid them). Most commercial table tomatoes for the USA winter market are grown in Florida. There they are picked while still hard and green and are later gassed with ethylene in the warehouse to ripen. So they look red and pretty, but the taste is unsatisfactory to say the least.

The problems with commercial winter tomatoes go far beyond taste. To withstand being shipped great distances they are bred for the hardiness of the fruit, not for its nutritional content. USDA tests show that modern tomatoes contain 30% less vitamin C, 30% less thiamin (B1), 19% less niacin (B3) and 62% less calcium than tomatoes tested in the 1960’s. (Actually I was surprised that their nutrient content was even this good.) One mineral that actually increased is sodium – by a whopping 1400%. Another reason, besides breeding, for the lower nutrient content is the low soil fertility in Florida which requires high amounts of chemical fertilizer. The problem with commercial fertilizer is that it contains only the macronutrients required to improve yield while ignoring trace minerals (like selenium) which improve the nutritional value but are invisible to shoppers and do not add to the price the farmer can get for his crop.

The other problem with Florida for growing tomatoes is the humidity which promotes fungal diseases and insect pests, all of which require very high amounts of more than 100 different pesticides, some of which remain on or in the fruit.

Vine-ripened locally grown greenhouse tomatoes should be somewhat better on several counts (besides tasting better) – natural ripening, lower use of pesticides, possibly more nutritious varieties, and possibly better micronutrient fertilization. Well worth the extra price, in my humble opinion.

Source: Tomatoland: How Modern Industrial Agriculture Destroyed Our Most Alluring Fruit, 2011, by investigative food journalist Barry Estabrook.

184 Eat Your Broccoli Raw [24 Sept 2012]

Eating cruciferous vegetables – broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, and Brussels Sprouts – has been known to reduce cancer risk for years but studies were inconsistent. Only 69% of 55 large epidemiological studies looking at cruciferous vegetable consumption and cancer found a significantly lower risk. The reason may be that these studies did not consider whether the vegetables were eaten raw or cooked.

A 2008 study at the Roswell Park Cancer Institute in Buffalo, NY, found a reduction in bladder cancer deaths of 40% for those who ate 3 or more servings of raw cruciferous vegetables per month! This was an average for both smokers and non-smokers; for non-smokers who ate the raw veggies compared to smokers who didn’t the reduction was 73%. There was no correlation in this study with cancer deaths and consumption of cooked cruciferous vegetables or of other fruits and vegetables cooked or raw.

The protective compounds in cruciferous vegetables are believed to be isothiocyanates, which are destroyed by cooking. These compounds are known to reduce the carcinogenic action of free radicals, preventing the formation of cancer cells. A recent study found that a particular isothiocyanate called PEITC can also kill existing cancer cells. This study, published in August 2012 in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, found that PEITC reduced mammary tumors in susceptible mice by 56% by preventing the formation of new blood vessels (essential for tumor growth) and by apoptosis (cell death).

Another study found that PEITC was even more effective at slowing growth of prostate cancer when taken along with curcumin (from the spice turmeric). Other research has shown that PEITC reduces cancer risk by affecting the HER2 and mutant p53 genes associated with cancer growth.

The message is clear – broccoli and its cruciferous cousins are good for us, but for best protection they should be eaten raw at least once per week.

For more information on this or other natural health topics, stop in and talk to Stan; for medical advice consult your licensed health practitioner.

182 Boosting Nitric Oxide [10 Sept 2012]

In the last two columns I wrote about the health benefits of Nitric Oxide (NO) and why we need more as we age. This week let’s look at how to increase our levels.

L-arginine is a nitric oxide donor and supplementing with this amino acid has been touted as the best way to increase NO levels (see June 11 column #169). But there are problems with L-arginine – it shouldn’t be used by people who have had a heart attack or who have atherosclerosis. Also the chemical pathway to convert arginine to NO doesn’t work so well in people over 40 – the very ones who need it the most. Fortunately there are foods, and a new supplement, that use different enzyme pathways that are safer and more effective.

Certain vegetables, the dark leafy greens, are rich in nitrate and nitrite which the body can convert to NO. An analysis of the factors in the Mediterranean diet found that the most significant food was not olive oil, fish or beans but vegetables, particularly those high in nitrates. Vegetables which are highest in nitrates (in decreasing order) include spinach, kale, Swiss chard, chicory, bok choy, beets, lettuce, cabbage, cauliflower, carrots and broccoli. Other foods which promote the production of NO (but do not contain much nitrate) are apples, pomegranate juice, red wine, dark chocolate, black and green tea and fish oil. Watermelon contains L-citrulline, an amino acid that converts to L-arginine in the body. Citrulline has been found to be safer and more effective at raising NO levels than arginine.

The new supplement for raising NO levels is called Neo40. It contains L-citrulline, vitamin C, beet root and hawthorn (beet root and hawthorn are very high in nitrates). Neo40 is mixed with saliva in the mouth to convert nitrates to nitrites. A recent study found Neo40 to be much more effective than L-arginine in raising blood levels of nitrite which is a biomarker for NO levels.

For more information on nitric oxide and Neo40 see www.neo40.ca and a book called “The Nitric Oxide (NO) Solution” by Nathan S Bryan and Janet Zand, 2010. For more information on this or other natural health topics, stop in and talk to Stan; for medical advice consult your licensed health practitioner.