辣吃花椰菜能增强其防癌能力

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ScienceDaily (Sep. 13, 2011) — Teaming fresh broccoli with a spicy food that contains the enzyme myrosinase significantly enhances each food's individual cancer-fighting power and ensures that absorption takes place in the upper part of the digestive system where you'll get the maximum health benefit, suggests a new University of Illinois study.

伊利诺伊大学的一项新研究指出，含芥子酶的辣味调料能显著增强新鲜花椰菜及其本身的防癌能力，并且能保证吸收在人体能获得最大健康益处的消化系统前面部分进行。

"To get this effect, spice up your broccoli with broccoli sprouts, mustard, horseradish, or wasabi. The spicier, the better; that means it's being effective," said Elizabeth Jeffery, a U of I professor of nutrition.

“要想得到这个效果，就用花椰菜芽、芥末、山葵或芥末酱来给花椰菜调味。越辣越好，因为这意味着它在发挥作用了，”伊利诺伊大学营养学教授Elizabeth Jeffery说。

In the study, when fresh broccoli sprouts were eaten with broccoli powder, the scientists were able to measure bioactive compounds in the blood 30 minutes later. When these peaked at three hours, they were much higher when the foods were eaten together than when either was eaten alone. Urine samples corroborated the blood results, said Jenna Cramer, lead author of the study.

研究中，新鲜的花椰菜芽与花椰菜粉一起吃进人体内30分钟后，科学家能够在血液中检测到具生物活性的化合物，3个小时后的高峰值比单独吃其中任何一样的要高得多。尿样的检测结果与血液的检测结果一致，第一作者Jenna Cramer说。

It's no secret that many people cook the benefits right out of broccoli instead of steaming it lightly for two to four minutes to protect its healthful properties, she said.

显然很多时候花椰菜的健康益处因为烹饪方法的不当而损失，正确的应该是用文火蒸2-4分钟以保持它的健康品质，她说。

"However, this study shows that even if broccoli is overcooked, you can still boost its benefits by pairing it with another food that contains myrosinase," she said.

“然而，这项研究表明即使过度烹饪，你仍然可以通过把它与另一种含芥子酶的食物搭配来增强它的益处，”她说。

Myrosinase is the enzyme necessary to form sulforaphane, the vegetable's cancer-preventive component, co-author Margarita Teran-Garcia explained.

芥子酶是形成花椰菜防癌成分萝卜硫素所必需的酶，作者之一的Margarita Teran-Garcia解释说。

Note what happened with the fresh broccoli sprouts and broccoli powder eaten in this experiment. The powder doesn't contain myrosinase, but it does contain the precursor to the anti-cancer agent sulforaphane. Eaten together, the sprouts were able to lend their myrosinase to the powder. As predicted, both foods produced sulforaphane and provided greater anti-cancer benefit, Jeffery said.

在新鲜的花椰菜芽和花椰菜粉搭配的试验中，花椰菜粉不含芥子酶，但它确实含有防癌物质萝卜硫素的前体。一起食用，花椰菜芽可以为花椰菜粉提供芥子酶。正如所预测的那样，搭配后两种食品都产生萝卜硫素，提供了更大的防癌益处，Jeffery说。

Other foods that will boost broccoli's benefits if they are paired together include radishes, cabbage, arugula, watercress, and Brussels sprouts.

其它与花椰菜搭配能够增强花椰菜的防癌功效的菜包括：萝卜、卷心菜、芝麻菜、西洋菜和芽甘蓝。

"Here's another benefit of protecting and enhancing the myrosinase in your foods," Jeffery said. "If myrosinase is present, sulforaphane is released in the ilium, the first part of your digestive system. Absorption happens well and quickly there, which is why we saw bioactivity in 30 minutes."

“保护和增强食品中的芥子酶的另一个好处是，”Jeffery说。“在芥子酶存在的情况下，萝卜硫素在消化系统的第一部分—髂骨中释放。这部分的吸收效率高并且快，这就是为什么我们在30分钟后就看到了生物活性的原因。”

An earlier Jeffery study showed that microbiota are capable of releasing sulforaphane in the lower gut, but absorption happens more slowly in the colon than in the upper intestine, she said.

Jeffery此前的一项研究表明微生物能够在肠的后面部分释放萝卜硫素，但结肠的吸收比肠前面部分的吸收慢，她说。

Scientists say that as little as three to five servings of broccoli a week provide a cancer-protective benefit.

科学家说一个星期吃上3-5次花椰菜就能起到防癌作用。

"But it pays to spice it up for added benefits and find ways to make it appealing so you don't mind eating it if you're not a broccoli fan. I add fresh broccoli sprouts to sandwiches and add them as one of my pizza toppings after the pie is out of the oven," Cramer said.

“但最好与辣的食品搭配以增强它的好处。如果你不爱吃花椰菜，可以想办法把它做得诱人一些，那样你就不会拒绝它了。我把花椰菜芽夹在三明治里或在比萨烤好后散在面上，”Cramer说。