Polyamine Metabolism and Transforming Growth Factor-beta Signaling Are Affected in Caco-2 Cells by Differentially Cooked Broccoli Extracts
Ok…don’t let the title put you to sleep…you need to follow along here because there are some very important concepts to be learned. First, there is always concern that microwaving will destroy much of the water soluble healthy compounds in foods.
This study was interesting in that it microwaved broccoli for 0, 1 and 4 minutes and looked at how many genes were activated in a colon cancer cell model. The 1 min sample was almost 3 times more effective than the un-microwaved sample. Next, it was determined that the 4 min sample had all the sulfurophane destroyed, and yet was able to induce positive changes in the toxin metabolism of the cells it was exposed to. I’m not saying that we should all feel free to nuke our broccoli until it’s ash in the tray of the microwave, but in today’s environment where convenience is king, maybe even microwaving a healthy entree (i.e. Kashi, Amy’s) can have significant health benefits.
On the news at least a year ago, they reported that a girl in jr. high had watered 2 identical plant groups (I don’t know which) after the water had been boiled and cooled two different ways. One group got its test water from a microwave and the other from a pot on a stove. I don’t recall how much later and the report wasn’t clear to the # of waterings, amount of water, soil etc. but was clear in it’s conclusion the microwave group was devasted.