Sulforaphane for diabetics

Sulforaphane for diabetics is a complex subject. The bottom line is that vegetables like broccoli, cabbage and radishes have the scientifically-proven property of increasing the ability of the liver to take up glucose; and raise the glycogen content in our cells.

This helps to alleviate insulin-resistance, a key factor in diabetics in which our cells have a limited ability to absorbe glucose from the blood stream.

So enjoy plants with sulforaphane too when you are bingeing on starchy or sugary stuff; it's absolutely vital. Almost a half of adult enjoying typical grocery store food have seriously raised blood-glucose; this is literally a life and death matter.

Radishes in autumn for more sulforaphane.

Eat more broccoli, cabbage and radishes

The take-home from sulforaphane for diabetics is that we should all eat more of these vegetables if we want to live long in the land.

It's found in all cruciferous vegetables like kale and other leafy greens too.

Diabetes affects roughly one in twelve people worldwide but in South Africa and America it's about 50% higher. Chronic excessive refined-carbohydrate consumption is the chief culprit; chocolate cake, commercial bread and colas.

Sprouting broccoli

Branching broccoli florets for more sulforaphane.

Branching or sprouting broccoli as it is sometimes called has even greater amounts of sulforaphane for diabetics; and the plant goes on bearing for months if you pick the florets regularly.

Another advantage for me is that as you wander through the garden, forest-bathing as I call it, plucking florets for a broccoli soup, you have undisturbed time to contemplate the events of the day and the meaning of life.

It would take about five minutes to pick enough for a broccoli soup for two. There are of course dozens of ways to cook them.

Broccoli plants are quite large but two or three would provide enough sulphoraphane for diabetics for a couple-months; the flowers will brighten up any salad too.

Branching broccoli plants.

The best broccoli plants I ever grew were from seedlings planted in a trench filled with compost. It takes a bit of time and energy but beats going to the gym for a power workout; and gave me a massive amount of protection against my prediabetes lasting for months.

The exercise too of course helps lower one's blood-glucose.

Sulforaphane

And now for the chemistry of sulforaphane for those who might be interested.

Its precursor is glucoraphanin.

Glucosinolates are compounds naturally found in leafy-greens and other plants such as radishes and mustard; they have a slightly pungent taste.

They have a structure like this.

Structure of glucosinolate.

The R can be any number of different-structures giving rise to the large array of compounds known as glucosinolates.

Notice that it they all contain a glucose-molecule, hence their name; and sulphur and nitrogen atoms that are derived from an amino acid. The R is attached to the central carbon.

Glucoraphanin is one example.

The importance of compounds like glucoraphanin is that, in the presence of a particular enzyme, the sugar molecule is sheared off leaving the wonder phytochemical of interest to those suffering from diabetes.

This is the sulforaphane for diabetics that we are talking about.

That enzyme called myrosinase is released when the cells are damaged, so your kale and broccoli needs to be thoroughly chopped and chewed; and not cooked for more than a few minutes.

Heat denatures enzymes.

In short diabetics can live long and completely normal lives if they follow the rules. One of them is that they enjoy their greens daily, raw or lightly cooked and thoroughly chewed.

Sulforaphane for diabetics really can make a meaningful change in your life.

Broccoli, kale and radishes with their piquant, slightly bitter flavour are the queens of the castle. Brussels-sprouts too but they need a colder climate than ours; like you get in Belgium.

Don't buy them as an expensive supplement; think rather about how to grow broccoli and enjoy many greens fresh from your garden. The forest bathing whilst picking your supper, the exercise as you prepare the ground and the sulforaphane will keep you out of the clutches of doctors of many ilks selling their snake-oil. 

Glucosinolates have a slightly bitter flavour; beware of recipes that teach you how to remove that taste from your dark-green leafy vegetables.

That's where much of the goodness is; our tongues need to be retrained to enjoy sour and bitter instead of sweet. It can be done; I know because I have achieved it. It is a must for all suffering from insulin-resistance.

Broccoli soup is to die for and radishes on a green salad will make your day, freshly-picked.


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Tumours

There is also much research showing that sulforaphane also gives protection against tumours. Recent studies using it along with chemotherapy have been very promising.

Sulforaphane for diabetics also targets tumour stem-cells, modulating the various faulty pathways that lead to neoplasms[1]. Foods like broccoli, cabbage and radishes also provide fibre for the bacteria in the tum that prevent cancer.

Screening and treatment rather than prevention is the word today; we choose to avoid the use of an expensive broccoli-sprout preparation and instead enjoy it from our food daily.


"Let thy food be thy medicine, and medicine be thy food."

Hippocrates (460 - 370 BC)


Hippocrates is the most quoted and totally ignored doctor of all time. As for me and my family we just enjoy Eggs Hilton almost every day; I mean that and it always has a few leaves of kale and other greens.

Eggs Hilton poaching is rich in sulforaphane.

Fatty liver

Sulforaphane for diabetics improves glucose tolerance and insulin-sensitivity. Equally important is that it reduces the hepatic triglyceride content[2]; it is a big helper with fatty liver.

Just as important of course is to avoid chronic excessive carbohydrate consumption; that is the cause of fatty liver, leading to steatohepatitis, also known as cirrhosis. If you drink too much as well then you're a gonna.

Sulforaphane for diabetics

Sulforaphane for diabetics comes from greens like broccoli and kale; radishes are great too.

Learning how to test for prediabetes at home is what helped me get on top of this pernicious disease; two pricks of the finger will divulge whether you should sit up and take notice. It's the chief cause of adult-onset blindness for example; along with a deficiency of two phytochemicals found in your greens and other foods[3][4].

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