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what broccoli benefits us
Broccoli, which contains sulforaphane, could prevent or slow the most common form of arthritis, according to new research from the University of East Anglia.
The study, which focused on the effects of the compound, found that a sulforaphane-rich diet fed to mice led to a decrease in the amount of cartilage damage and cases of osteoarthritis. Besides broccoli, the compound is released when eating cruciferous vegetables like cabbage and Brussels sprouts.
Following on from this, the School of Biological Sciences and Norwich Medical School will carry out a small scale trial into using broccoli as a form of treatment. Patients due to have knee replacement surgery will be observed for improvements in their condition. If the test proves successful the team hopes it could lead to a much larger trial.
Ian Clark, professor of musculoskeletal biology at UEA and the lead researcher, said: As well as treating those who already have the condition, you need to be able to tell healthy people how to protect their joints into the future. There is currently no way in to the disease pharmaceutically and you cannot give healthy people drugs unnecessarily, so this is where diet could be a safe alternative.
Over 8.5 million people in the UK have osteoarthritis, and the annual cost of the condition to the NHS is £5.2 billion. The figure is set to go up: cases of knee osteoarthritis are expected to rise from 4.7 million in 2010 to 8.3 million by 2035.
Prof Clark added: Osteoarthritis is a major cause of disability. It is a huge health burden but a huge financial burden too, which will get worse in an increasingly aging and obese population such as ours.
The small scale trial will see 40 patients about to have knee replacement surgery studied. Half of them will be given a form of broccoli specifically bred to be high in sulforaphane, after which further analysis will be undertaken to see if the compound has altered joint metabolism. The small scale trial is to be funded by DRINC.
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