New research reveals that a pill containing concentrated broccoli powder can reduce blood sugar levels by up to 10 per cent in people with type 2 diabetes.

Type 2 diabetes tends to occur in middle-aged, overweight people who's bodies stop responding to insulin, a hormone that regulates the amount of glucose in the blood.When the body looses insulin sensitivity, blood sugar levels can rise, raising the chance of heart attacks, blindness and kidney problems.

Broccoli contains a chemical called sulforaphane, which has previously been shown to be effective in treating diabetic mice.A research team in Sweden decided to use the same chemical on humans with diabetes, giving them a concentrated dose that equated to eating five kilograms of broccoli a day. 97 humans were given either the sulforaphane pill or a placebo for the study.

On average, the blood glucose levels of those who took sulforaphane went down 10 per cent more than the levels of those on the placebo, and was most effective on participants whose blood glucose levels were higher to begin with.

"We're very excited about the effects we've seen and are eager to bring the extract to patients," said researcher Anders Rosengren of the University of Gothenburg in Sweden. "We saw a reduction of glucose by about 10 per cent, which is sufficient to reduce complications in the eyes, kidneys and blood," he added.

Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Broccoli_(Detail).jpg Author: Robert Wetzlmayr