Whether you like or hate broccoli, science has found a very compelling reason to eat it more. A study done on mice has shown that this everyday vegetable has a natural substance in it that has a very powerful anti-aging and energy-related effect that could be easily transferred to humans.
A research done at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis has concluded that a compound found in broccoli called nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN) which plays a vital role in energy metabolism has a reverse-aging effect when added to water that was given to normal mice.
The mice’s metabolism was sped up, weight gain that is accompanied with aging was decreased, their eyesight was improved and their blood sugar dropped to a healthier level. All the mice in the study started behaving younger than their real age. Even though the study did not measure their lifespan, the improvements done by NMN suggest that they would also increase longevity.
That’s despite all the bad rap it has received by preschoolers and presidents alike. And broccoli isn’t the only vegetable that does this. The same compounds is found in cabbage, cucumbers and edamame.
The benefits of NMN have to be further researched in order to better understand them and if it would be beneficial enough so that people could eat them more. In any case, eating it in large quantities surely wouldn’t hurt you.
