Broccoli goed voor de hersenen en bij Alzheimer.*

Bepaalde groentesoorten, met name broccoli zijn goed voor de hersenen. Dat blijkt uit een Brits onderzoek van King's College London, waarvan de resultaten bekend werden gemaakt tijdens het een Brits farmaceutisch conferentie in Manchester.
Het onderzoek heeft grote gevolgen voor de behandeling van Alzheimer, meent de Royal Pharmaceutical Society. Broccoli, aardappelen, sinaasappelen, appels en radijsjes bevatten de bioactieve stoffen, glucosinolaten die hetzelfde effect op Alzheimer hebben als medicijnen die gebruikt worden om de ziekte tegen te gaan. Dit geldt met name voor broccoli. Hiermee is niet bewezen dat het eten van deze groenten de ziekte kan bestrijden. Wel kan het regelmatig eten van onder meer broccoli de hersenen minder snel doen aftakelen.

FRUIT AND VEG COULD BOOST YOUR MEMORY: GROUNDBREAKING NEW RESEARCH

Research to be reported at the British Pharmaceutical Conference in Manchester provides scientific backing to the idea that  certain fruit and vegetables could boost the memory. The research, from King’s College London, has major implications for the prevention and treatment of Alzheimer’s disease.

Extracts found in 5 fruits and vegetables - broccoli, potatoes, oranges, apples and radishes - were found to contain substances that act in the same way as drugs used to treat Alzheimer’s.

Most of the drugs used to treat the disease act as inhibitors of acetylcholinesterase, the enzyme responsible for the breakdown of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine. It has been previously suggested that some common vegetables might have antiacetylcholinesterase activity, but no detailed investigation has ever been carried out. This new research confirms this activity in all 5 of the fruit and vegetables. Broccoli was found to have the most potent activity and was taken forward for further tests to identify the agent(s) responsible for this activity. These were found to be glucosinolates, a group of compounds found throughout the cabbage family. Professor Peter Houghton, from King’s College London, commented: “This is the first report that glucosinolates have acetylcholinesterase inhibitory properties. As yet, it is unproven that eating broccoli, for instance, would have a beneficial effect on

Alzheimer's disease. But the long-term effects of regularly consuming these compounds in vegetables belonging to the Brassicaceae (Cabbage family) might certainly be beneficial in reducing a decline in acetylcholine levels in the central nervous system.” ( Sept. 2005)