Nothing disables the quality of life like arthritis — waking up in the morning with stiff hands and legs can ruin the day, right?
Well, keep your chin up, because researchers at the Royal Veterinary College in London report that there is one awesome vegetable that keeps arthritis pain away and cuts cartilage damage to a minimum.
Mom was right all along — broccoli is good for you, and you should be eating it as often as you can. The reason why broccoli is so good for osteoarthritis is because of a chemical compound present in it.
Broccoli has a phytochemical called sulforaphane that has been known to block inflammation and also reduce damage to cartilage.
Researchers have identified that sulforaphane provides benefits against osteoarthritis by blocking certain enzymes in our system that cause inflammation and joint destruction.
In a study from the University of East Anglia and the University of Oxford, the effects of sulforaphane on cultured cartilage cells were observed.
When inflammation was induced, normal cells released a lot of enzymes that break down cartilage. But sulforaphane-treated cells did not produce as much of these, and hence showed a reduction in harm.
Sulforaphane improves gait balance, joint movement, and bone architecture, thus offering tremendous improvements in those who have been suffering from osteoarthritis.
The only problem is that patients suffering from arthritis need to eat huge quantities of broccoli to gain its benefits. Not everybody can down 5 pounds of broccoli a day. A drug company in the UK is currently testing a sulforaphane pill based on these studies. Just one dose is equivalent to eating 5.5 pounds of broccoli.
So, are supplements the only way to get sulforaphane?
Not necessarily. There are many other vegetables that contain high doses of sulforaphane. Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, bok choy, kale, collards, mustard, turnip, and radish are good sources of sulforaphane and a diet that includes generous helpings of these healthy veggies might just be the thing you need to cut down the pain and discomfort.
The main way to beat arthritis is to have a solid strategy. There is no one magic pill that cures everything. Do a little bit of this and a little bit of that, and before you know it, the pain is gone forever.