GLUCORAPHANIN A Powerful Antioxidant Found in Broccoli that Helps Boost the Body’s Natural Defense System

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Brassica Protection Products truebroc™ White Paper April 2016

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Glucoraphanin:)A)Powerful)Antioxidant)Found)in)Broccoli)that)Helps)to))Boost)the)Body’s)Natural)Defense)System)

THE)IMPORTANCE)OF)ANTIOXIDANTS)!

Most!of!us!know!about!antioxidants!and!that!they!are!good!for!us,!but!do!you!know!how!antioxidants!work?!The!main!purpose!of!antioxidants!is!to!protect!the!cells!in!our!body!from!damage!caused!by!oxidative!stress,!namely!free!radicals,!which!are!unstable!compounds!missing!an!electron1.!Free!radicals!are!created!both!as!a!byproduct!of!normal!cellular!respiration!as!well!as!environmental!pollution,!UV!rays,!etc.!Because!of!their!instability,!they!“steal”!electrons!from!any!source!in!the!body!they!can!find!to!help!stabilize!them.!The!most!readily!available!source!of!electrons!is!other!healthy!cells.!Over!time,!the!chronic!exposure!of!the!cell!walls!to!free!radicals!will!break!down!the!walls,!which!can!have!a!variety!of!negative!effects!on!our!health,!both!acute!and!chronic.!!!

ANTIOXIDANTS)AT)WORK)IN)THE)BODY)

By!definition,!antioxidants!are!electron!donors;!they!act!as!sacrificial!lambs!by!offering!free!radicals!another!source!of!electrons!besides!the!cell!wall!of!healthy!cells.!Antioxidants!can!give!their!electrons!to!free!radicals,!neutralizing!them!and!thereby!preventing!them!from!stealing!any!more!electrons!and!doing!further!damage.!The!antioxidants!can!thus!help!prevent!or!minimize!the!buildIup!of!damage!over!time.!Unfortunately,!free!radical!damage!is!also!closely!linked!with!inflammation!because!the!body!recognizes!oxidative!damage!as!a!threat2.!To!answer!this,!the!body!sends!out!an!army!of!soldiers!in!the!form!of!immune!cells.!These!immune!"soldiers"!fight!against!anything!they!perceive!to!be!foreign!and!once!they!are!done,!like!casualties!in!any!battlefield,!there!will!be!a!mass!of!dead!cells.!This!in!itself!sends!signals!for!an!influx!of!more!immune!cell!soldiers.!What!results!is!a!cycle!of!oxidation:!damage!–!immune!cells!–!more!damage.!Increasing!antioxidant!potential!in!the!body!provides!a!solution!by!helping!to!prevent!a!lot!of!the!oxidative!damage!in!the!first!place!and!thus!also!helps!minimize!localized!inflammation,!for!example!in!the!muscles!after!rigorous!exercise3,4.!Without!antioxidants,!our!cells!could!be!easily!damaged!by!reactive!oxygen!species,!DNA!damaging!electrophiles,!inflammation!and!radiation.!!

The!body!has!several!means!of!removing!free!radicals!before!they!can!cause!damage.!One!of!the!best!ways!is!for!us!to!consume!foods!rich!in!direct!antioxidants!or!supplements!containing!Vitamins!C!and!E5,6.!Lesser!known!are!indirect!antioxidants!and!enzymes!produced!by!the!body,!such!as!glutathione!and!superoxide!dismutase7,8,9.!And!finally!there!is!the!phase!II!detoxification!enzyme!system;!enzymes!that!act!as!the!body’s!natural!defense!system.!The!phase!II!enzyme!system!increases!the!production!of!specific!antioxidant!enzymes10,11,12.!In!short,!we!can!boost!our!body’s!natural!defenses!by!activating!the!phase!II!enzyme!system!through!certain!foods,!such!as!broccoli,!and!supplements!containing!glucoraphanin.!Glucoraphanin!is!an!important!phytonutrient!found!in!broccoli!that!is!unfamiliar!to!most!people.!!

DISCOVERY:)A)NEW)ANTIOXIDANT)COMPOUND)FOUND)IN)BROCCOLI)

In!the!early!1990’s,!scientists!at!Johns!Hopkins!University!(JHU)!identified!a!compound!derived!from!broccoli!called!glucoraphanin13,14.!Glucoraphanin!acts!as!part!of!the!plant’s!defense!system.!In!fact,!once!converted!to!its!bioactive!form,!sulforaphane,!it!is!responsible!for!the!characteristic!sulfur!smell/taste!of!broccoli.!Glucoraphanin!

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belongs!to!a!category!of!compounds!called!glucosinolates,!which!are!naturally!found!in!cruciferous!vegetables!–!with!broccoli!being!the!king!of!glucoraphanin.!It!is!converted!into!sulforaphane!by!an!enzyme!found!in!broccoli!called!myrosinase!or,!if!this!enzyme!is!deactivated!through!the!cooking!process,!the!body's!gut!microflora!will!perform!the!conversion15.!In!the!broccoli!plant,!myrosinase!and!glucoraphanin!are!kept!in!different!cellular!compartments.!When!the!plant!is!chewed!or!cut,!the!myrosinase!and!glucoraphanin!interact,!resulting!in!the!conversion!of!glucoraphanin!into!sulforaphane.!Because!sulforaphane!is!bitter,!it!discourages!animals!from!eating!the!plant!!In!the!course!of!their!experiments,!the!JHU!scientists!discovered!that!sulforaphane!was!one!of!the!most!potent!naturally!occurring!activators!of!our!phase!II!detoxification!system13.!This!led!to!a!flurry!of!publications!demonstrating!the!effect!that!sulforaphane,!glucoraphanin!and!broccoli!extracts!have!on!the!activation!and!expression!of!specific!phase!II!enzymes.!!

HEALTH)BENEFITS)OF)GLUCORAPHANIN)/)SULFORAPHANE)

Once!glucoraphanin!is!converted!to!sulforaphane,!it!becomes!a!potent!antioxidant!in!the!body!and!helps!to!boost!the!body’s!natural!detoxification!pathways.!By!eliminating!harmful!toxins!and!pollutants!–!alcohol,!cigarette!smoke,!ultraviolet!light,!high!fructose!corn!syrup!and!other!toxins!that!creep!into!our!daily!lives!–!we!can!experience:!

• Increased!energy!levels!• Healthier!skin!and!hair!• Decreased!signs!of!premature!aging!• Healthier!immune!system!

!If!you!are!one!of!the!40!percent!of!adults!who!wish!they!could!get!the!nutritional!benefits!of!broccoli!without!having!to!eat!it,!then!you!are!in!

luck.!There!is!an!alternative!to!eating!broccoli!every!day!and!it!is!called!truebroc™.!

AN)ALTERNATIVE)TO)EATING)BROCCOLI)EVERY)DAY)

truebroc!is!a!patented,!highly!concentrated!nutritional!ingredient!rich!in!glucoraphanin!from!broccoli!seeds.!Born!from!the!same!JHU!scientists!who!first!identified!the!antioxidant!benefits!of!glucoraphanin!from!broccoli,!it!can!be!found!in!a!variety!of!supplements!as!well!as!Brassica®!Tea!and!Brassica!Coffee.!Because,!the!amount!of!glucoraphanin!in!broccoli!varies!wildly!due!to!genetic!variations,!where!it’s!grown!and!the!part!of!the!plant!consumed!(florets,!stalks,!sprouts,!seeds,!etc.)16,17,!it!is!important!to!know!that!supplements!and!other!fortified!food!sources!are!available.!!

truebroc’s!broccoli!seeds!are!grown!in!California!and!the!glucoraphanin!is!waterIextracted!with!complete!traceability!from!field!to!finished!product.!One!capsule!of!truebroc,!containing!30mg!of!glucoraphanin,!equals!the!same!amount!of!glucoraphanin!in!a!half!head!of!broccoli!!

If!you!are!interested!in!learning!more!about!glucoraphanin,!sulforaphane!and!truebroc,!visit!www.truebroc.com.!!

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REFERENCES))

1. Wojcik!et!al;!Curr!Med!Chem.!2010;17(28):3262I88!!!

2. Dandekar!et!al;!Methods!Mol!Biol.!2015;1292:205I14!!!

3. Sousa!et!al;!Int!J!Food!Sci!Nutr.!2014!Mar;65(2):151I63;!!!

4. Yavari!et!al;!Asian!J!Sports!Med.!2015!Mar;6(1):e24898!!!

5. Sheweita!&!Sheikh;!Curr!Drug!Metab.!2011!Jul;12(6):587I93;!!!

6. Peng!et!al;!Biomed!Res!Int.!2014;2014:831841!!!

7. Aquilano!et!al;!Front!Pharmacol.!2014!Aug!26;5:196;!!!

8. Saharan!&!Mandal;!J!Alzheimers!Dis.!2014;40(3):519I29;!!!

9. Huang!et!al;!Semin!Cell!Dev!Biol.!2012!Sep;23(7):738I44!!!

10. Bocci!&!Valacchi;!Front!Chem.!2015!Feb!2;3:4;!!!

11. Stefanson!&!Bakovic;!Nutrients.!2014!Sep!19;6(9):3777I801!!!

12. Gao!et!al;!PNAS.2001;!98(26);!15221I15226!!!

13. Zhang!et!al;!Proc!Natl!Acad!Sci!U!S!A.!1992!Mar!15;89(6):2399I403;!!!

14. Fahey!&!Talalay;!Food!Chem!Toxicol.!1999!SepIOct;37(9I10):973I9!!!

15. Conzatti!et!al;!Nutr!Hosp.!2014!Nov!30;31(2):559I69!!!

16. Saha!et!al;!Mol!Nutr!Food!Res.!2012!Dec;56(12):1906I16;!!!

17. Atwell!et!al;!Mol!Nutr!Food!Res.!2015!Mar;59(3):424I33!!!

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