Gourmet Broccoli
Organic Soup Kitchen’s Gourmet Broccoli features antioxidant-rich and fiber-packed organic broccoli to help support with cancer and chronic illness prevention.
The primary source of broccoli’s health benefits is from glucoraphanin, which is the plant precursor to the natural antioxidant sulforaphane. Once the body converts the glucoraphanin from broccoli to sulforaphane, it exhibits antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antimicrobial properties. These effects are protective against a variety of chronic and infectious diseases. Most notably, sulforaphane shows strong activities against the progression of cancer. At the cellular level, sulforaphane helps with apoptosis (regulated cell death), inhibition of angiogenesis (formation of blood vessels to tumors), and inhibition of metastasis (the spread of cancer) to stop the growth of cancer in the body.
Broccoli is also rich in kaempferol, a flavonoid (a group of essential compounds found in plants). Kaempferol has been shown to be particularly helpful to help control inflammation through its anti-inflammatory activity. Inflammation occurs as an immune response to help facilitate healing; however, when it is not tightly controlled, it can lead to several inflammatory diseases where the immune system begins attacking normally functioning cells. Inflammation in the gut can also lead to obesity-related diseases. A study showed that the anti-inflammatory effects of kaempferol supplementation reduced risk for metabolic disorders (high-fat diet induced obesity, fat accumulation, and glucose intolerance) in obese mice, which has been promising in human-led studies as well.
Lastly, broccoli has a high fiber-content, which is helpful in supporting people with Type II diabetes. Type II diabetes is a chronic disorder that arises from dysregulation of macronutrient metabolism (carbohydrates, proteins, fats, etc.) that results in insulin resistance or impaired insulin secretion, making it hard to regulate blood sugar levels. Any source of dietary fiber from natural foods is effective in helping to control blood sugar and insulin sensitivity.
Organic Soup Kitchen’s Gourmet Broccoli soup is full of essential nutrients and fiber that makes it an excellent meal for those with cancer, inflammatory diseases, and type II diabetes.
References
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Chen AY, Chen YC. A review of the dietary flavonoid, kaempferol on human health and cancer chemoprevention. Food Chem. 2013;138(4):2099-2107. doi:10.1016/j.foodchem.2012.11.139
Chen L, Deng H, Cui H, et al. Inflammatory responses and inflammation-associated diseases in organs. Oncotarget. 2017;9(6):7204-7218. doi:10.18632/oncotarget.23208
Bian Y, Lei J, Zhong J, et al. Kaempferol reduces obesity, prevents intestinal inflammation, and modulates gut microbiota in high-fat diet mice. J Nutr Biochem. 2022;99:108840. doi:10.1016/j.jnutbio.2021.108840
Mao T, Huang F, Zhu X, Wei D, Chen L. Effects of dietary fiber on glycemic control and insulin sensitivity in patients with type 2 diabetes: A systematic review and meta-analysis. J Funct Foods. 2021;82:104500. doi:10.1016/j.jff.2021.104500
Type 2 diabetes mellitus | Nature Reviews Disease Primers. Accessed July 31, 2023. https://www.nature.com/articles/nrdp201519