Your mother may have been on to something when she insisted that you eat your broccoli as a child. A new study by the University of Arizona and Johns Hopkins University found that sulforaphane, a compound found in broccoli, has powerful anti-skin cancer properties.
Conducted by Dr. Sally Dickenson, what is interesting about this new research is that instead of just advocating the consumption of broccoli to harness its skin-protecting goodness, it is advocating that we apply sulforaphane directly onto our skins.
Having shown that sulforaphane is "a highly adaptable, highly effective agent when it comes to inhibiting cancer-causing pathways, while activating chemoprotective genes", Dr. Dickenson is now conducting a pilot study to test if applying a broccoli-based solution onto skin can work effectively as sun protection.
In the future, mothers may not only be asking their children to eat their broccoli, but to rub it on their skin as well. Read more about these intriguing new findings here.
[via Science Daily]