Cabbage against diabetes

Broccoli and cauliflower may be useful for type 2 diabetes

Anna Stavina, XX2 century, based on Medical Xpress: Sulforaphane in broccoli sprouts found to improve glucose levels in diabetes

An international team of researchers from Sweden, the USA and Switzerland found that the treatment of rat liver cells with a substance called "sulforaphane" reduces glucose production. In a study that scientists have published in the publication Science Translational Medicine (Axelsson et al., Sulforaphane reduces hepatic glucose production and improves glucose control in patients with type 2 diabetes), also describes a method for isolating sulforaphane from vegetables and observations involving volunteers.

Sulforaphane is an organic compound of plant origin. The precursor of sulforaphane glucoraphanin is found in vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower, kohlrabi, watercress, etc. Broccoli and cauliflower shoots are the most rich in glucoraphanin. When a plant is damaged (for example, when chewing), the plant enzyme myrosinase transforms glucoraphanin into sulforaphane, which is an antibacterial agent and participates in the plant protection system against infection.

Recently, type 2 diabetes has been actively investigated, since this disease is associated with the epidemic of obesity that began in many developed countries, especially in the United States. Previous studies have shown that type 2 diabetes is a condition in which the sensitivity of cells to insulin and their ability to absorb glucose is impaired. As a result, the "unclaimed" carbohydrate accumulates in the blood, which leads to the development of numerous health problems.

For the treatment of type 2 diabetes, diet therapy and the use of drugs such as metformin are currently used. But some diabetes treatments cause serious side effects, for example, they can damage the liver, so scientists continue to search for drugs. The authors of a new study managed to find a compound that helps to cope with the symptoms of diabetes in a different way. To do this, scientists have created a "genetic signature" of the disease based on 50 genes. After processing these data, the researchers began to search for chemical compounds associated with the expression of certain genes. And sulforaphane turned out to be the most effective of the substances known to date.

Then the experimenters grew a cell culture of rats suffering from type 2 diabetes and treated these cells with sulforaphane, expecting that glucose production would decrease as a result. Encouraged by the first results, they offered a 12-week course of sulforaphane to 97 volunteers with type 2 diabetes. The rapid transition to human trials became possible due to the fact that sulforaphane is a substance present in edible plants of the Cabbage family, for example, in broccoli. It turned out that sulforaphane therapy significantly reduces the level of fasting blood glucose.

The authors of the work note that the results of the work are preliminary, and additional studies will be required to confirm the effectiveness of sulforaphane or a diet with a high content of cruciferous. In addition, the researchers emphasize that the method used to detect the benefits of sulforaphane is applicable to other diseases.

Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru  16.06.2017