A substance contained in cruciferous vegetables, mainly in broccoli, delays the development of osteoarthritis, according to the results of research conducted by British scientists in the journal Arthritis & Rheumatism.
Researchers from the University of East Anglia have proven in a study on mice that a diet rich in sulforaphane (a compound found in cruciferous vegetables – Brussels sprouts, cabbage and, above all, broccoli) delays and even prevents the destruction of articular cartilage and thus osteoarthritis.
Now scientists want to test the substance’s effectiveness in humans, and preliminary studies have already begun on patients who are to undergo knee replacement surgery. Patients will be fed broccoli high in sulforaphane for two weeks before surgery, and after surgery, researchers will check if the vegetables changed tissue metabolism.
Previous research has shown that sulforaphane has anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory properties. This project found that the substance also protects the health of the joints by blocking the enzymes that destroy them.
Osteoarthritis is a condition that presents with severe pains in the hands, feet, spine, hips or knees and restriction of their motor functions. The factors contributing to its occurrence are advanced age and obesity. There is no effective treatment for this disease. Only pain relief measures are used (often insufficiently) and replacement operations for damaged joints.
Until now, researchers have failed in trying to show that food or diet can slow the development of osteoarthritis, so if the results of this study can be replicated in humans, we will be dealing with a breakthrough, comments Prof. Alan Silman, director of the Arthritis Research UK foundation. (PAP)