In a world where toxins seem to be everywhere, a food that sucks those bad chemicals right out of your body seems like a science fiction dream-come-true. Well, broccoli sprouts, and other cruciferous vegetables like kale, may just be the amazing detox food we’ve all been waiting for!
According to NPR, a new study published online in the journal Cancer Prevention Research suggests that consuming broccoli sprouts helps people get rid of common pollutants benzene and acrolein (which you’re exposed to when at a gas station, around smokers or in a heavily polluted area).
For the study, 300 Chinese adults drank a beverage made with broccoli sprouts every day for three months. Drinking the beverage, the researchers found, led to high rates of the pollutants in participants’ urine, leading scientists to believe that the broccoli sprouts sped up excretion of those terrible toxins. In fact, it was found that drinking broccoli sprouts upped excretion of benzene by a whopping 63%.
NPR is reporting that scientists speculate that a compound found in cruciferous vegetables (hello, kale!) may be playing a big role in getting rid of the toxins. Apparently, this compound causes enzymes to increase their activity, so they remove a greater amount of toxins from the body.
For now, load up on those broccoli sprouts if you’ve been hanging around the gas station! And stay tuned for more research on how cruciferous veggies can help you detox!
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