University of Illinois College of Agricultural, Consumer and
Environmental Sciences
Love it or hate it, broccoli is touted as a superfood, offering
an array of health benefits. And it's about to get even more super.
University of Illinois researchers have identified candidate
genes controlling the accumulation of phenolic compounds in broccoli.
Consumption of phenolic compounds, including certain flavonoids, is associated
with a lower risk of coronary heart disease, type II diabetes, asthma, and
several types of cancer.
"Phenolic compounds have good antioxidant activity, and there is increasing evidence that this antioxidant activity affects biochemical pathways affiliated with inflammation in mammals. We need inflammation because it's a response to disease or damage, but it's also associated with initiation of a number of degenerative diseases. People whose diets consist of a certain level of these compounds will have a lesser risk of contracting these diseases," explains U of I geneticist Jack Juvik.
The researchers crossed two broccoli lines and tested their
progeny in terms of total phenolic content and their ability to neutralize
oxygen radicals in cellular assays. They then used a genetic technique called
quantitative trait locus analysis to search for the genes involved in
generating phenolics in the most promising progeny.
By identifying the genes involved in accumulating these
compounds, the researchers are one step closer to breeding broccoli and related
Brassica vegetables like kale and cabbage with mega-doses of phenolic
compounds.
"It's going to take awhile," Juvik notes. "This
work is a step in that direction, but is not the final answer. We plan to take
the candidate genes we identified here and use them in a breeding program to
improve the health benefits of these vegetables. Meanwhile, we'll have to make
sure yield, appearance, and taste are maintained as well."
The good news is that phenolic compounds are flavorless and
stable, meaning the vegetables can be cooked without losing health-promoting
qualities.
Once these vegetables are consumed, the phenolic compounds are
absorbed and targeted to certain areas of the body or concentrated in the
liver. Flavonoids spread through the bloodstream, reducing inflammation through
their antioxidant activity.
"These are things we can't make ourselves, so we have to
get them from our diets," Juvik says. "The compounds don't stick
around forever, so we need to eat broccoli or some other Brassica vegetable
every three or four days to lower the risk of cancers and other degenerative
diseases."
