A compound found in broccoli may limit the risk of developing a chronic lung disease. It does so by increasing the activity of a gene in the lung cells, which protect the cells from toxins.

The finding may lead to useful treatments for mapping lung diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, said scientists at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine at Baltimore, USA. They found that the compound sulforaphane was able to restore reduced levels of the gene NRF 2 in cells exposed to cigarette smoke. Sulforaphane was also found to be protective against damage to blood vessels caused by diabetes.

Source: Down To Earth,
Date: October 2008