Research Roundup: January 2009

Eating broccoli raw, rather than cooked, results in higher blood levels of broccoli’s anticancer compounds, such as sulforaphane. Researchers from the Netherlands conducted a small study of eight men, aged 18 to 60, feeding them about two cups of crushed broccoli a day, raw or cooked. They found that cooking the broccoli prevented the formation of the anticancer compounds, making less of them available to be absorbed. In fact, while 37% of the sulforaphane in raw broccoli was available for absorption, less than 4% was available from the cooked broccoli.