Broccoli and Tomatoes Have Strong Antioxidant Properties

Foods are the most powerful source of nutrients that help in the prevention of sickness and disease. Even if just one or two compounds show antioxidant properties, it is the whole food that works together that makes these compounds so effective at supporting the body's health. The same can't be said for just one or two vitamins used on their own. The body responds best to the orchestra of phytonutrients in the whole food that work together. Here is a new report on the power that exists in two particular foods, broccoli and tomatoes --

Biofortification of broccoli and tomatoes may lead to increased levels of potentially anti-cancer compounds, according to results of an American study.

When tested in rats, broccoli and tomato powder with enhanced bioactive contents was found to promote the activity of enzymes linked to detoxification, according to findings published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.

Results also showed that levels of tomato’s and broccoli’s main active compounds, such as lycopene, indole glucosinolates, or selenium, were raised in the body tissues of the animals.

“These encouraging findings suggest that bioactive-enriched vegetables should be tested for cancer prevention,” wrote John Erdman, Jr. and his co-workers from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

The health benefits of broccoli and tomatoes, particularly linked to their content of the indole-based compound indole-3-carbinol, and the carotenoid lycopene. “Many studies have evaluated the cancer-preventive potential of individual bioactives from tomatoes and broccoli, but few have examined them within the context of a whole food,” explained the researchers.

Erdman and his co-workers used male rats and fed them diets supplemented with 10 per cent powders of a standard tomato powder, a lycopene-enriched tomato powder, a standard broccoli floret powder, and a broccoli sprout powder. All of these powders were obtained from FutureCeuticals. Additional groups of rats were supplemented with powders made from indole glucosinolates-enriched broccoli, selenium-enriched broccoli, or carotenoid-enriched tomatoes, prepared by the USDA-ARS.

After one week of feeding on these diets, the researchers report that all the broccoli diets resulted in an increase in the activity of the detoxifying enzyme called colon quinone reductase (NQO1). Furthermore, consumption of either the indole glucosinolate-enriched broccoli and selenium-enriched broccoli resulted in an increase in levels of the enzyme in the liver, as well as activity of cytochrome P450 1A, an enzymes involved in the metabolism and detoxification of many environmental carcinogens. ( Full Story )

Note: The most important thing you can do for your health is being sure to eat plenty of vegetables each day. Fruits are important too. There will be more evidence on the importance and the power of the nutrients that exist in whole foods in the months to come. The effect that a healthy diet can have on your health - good or bad - should be cause for being sure to make smart choices.

If you don't eat enough fruits and vegetables, I recommend adding Juice Plus+® as a nutritional supplement, to get the vitamins and phytonutrients from a variety of fruits and vegetables.

The Health & Wellness Institute, PC