Broccoli helps you breathe easier.

• Position: Respiratory System

Here's another reason to eat your broccoli: UCLA researchers report that a naturally occurring compound found in broccoli and other cruciferous vegetables may help protect against respiratory inflammation that causes conditions like asthma, allergic rhinitis, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

The research shows that sulforaphane, a chemical in broccoli, triggers an increase of antioxidant enzymes in the human airway that offer protection against the onslaught of free radicals that we breathe in every day in polluted air, pollen, diesel exhaust, and tobacco smoke. A supercharged form of oxygen, free radicals can cause oxidative tissue damage, which leads to inflammation and respiratory conditions like asthma.

"This is one of the first studies showing that broccoli sprouts--a readily available food source--offer potent biologic effects in stimulating an antioxidant response in humans." confirms Marc Riedl, the study's principal investigator and an assistant professor of clinical immunology and allergy

'We found a two- to three-fold increase in antioxidant enzymes in the nasal airway cells of study participants who had eaten a preparation of broccoli sprouts. This strategy may offer protection against inflammatory processes and could lead to...