Broccoli May Slow the Aging Process, One More Reason To Eat Those Greens!

   By drodriguez  Nov 04, 2016

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There may be yet another good reason to go in for that extra helping of broccoli at dinner tonight. A new study suggests that foods like broccoli, cucumbers, edamame and cabbage contain a special enzyme that slows the aging process and chronic conditions that come with added years.

Time reports about the study published on Cell Metabolism that looked at how the enzymes from these vegetables slowed the aging process in mice. The same agent found in cabbage, cucumbers, edamame and broccoli was added to their drinking water and scientists began to notice that mice who received this agent had cells that acted younger than their actual age.

The compound found in these vegetables is called nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN) and though we can get a dose of NMN if we eat some of our greens, scientists think it would prove difficult for most people to eat enough of the veggies to benefit them in the same way. Scientists are currently involved in a human study using a pill form of NMN to see if it will have the same benefits that they saw in mice.

Author of the study Dr. Shin-Ichiro Imai explains, “It’s clear that in humans and in rodents, we lose energy with age. We are losing the enzyme NMN. But if we can bypass that process by adding NMN, we can make energy again. These results provide a very important foundation for the human studies.”

What do you think of the new study that suggests consumption of certain veggies may slow the aging process?

Would you be more likely to eat more of these vegetables if you knew it had this type of benefit?