broccoli

Pile THIS on your plate to turn back the clock

There's one issue that divides Americans like few others -- and I'm not talking about the results of last week's election.

Love it or hate it: It's broccoli.

But I've got some news today that could turn a die-hard broccoli hater into a full-time fan ready to eat this stuff at every meal.

And you might want to stock up now -- because when word gets out on what broccoli can do, there might be a run on it at the supermarket!

According to new tests on mice, a compound locked inside every stalk and floret can do something no drug in the world can match.

It can slow, stop, and even REVERSE the aging process, cutting your risk of chronic disease... and maybe even delaying death itself.

The secret is an enzyme called nicotinamide mononucleotide, or NMN for short. In those experiments on mice, it was able to make the cells seem younger than they really are.

Once treated with NMN, the cell aging process slowed so much that all the problems that come with age ground to a halt.

The mice had stronger bone and muscle... better liver function... and improvements in vision.

Mice treated with this natural compound also didn't gain as much weight as they aged, and they had better blood sugar control.

They even had stronger immune function!

At least part of the reason for all those incredible benefits comes from the fact that this compound helps turn food into energy, and that can be used by the body in two ways.

The first is obvious: The mice had more actual energy, running around as if they were half their age.

The second one isn't so obvious: The actual cells in the mice got more energy, too, helping speed their metabolism.

NMN looks like it can turn the factory back on so effectively that the researchers want to begin human trials ASAP. The same process happens inside our own bodies: As we get older, the internal power plant begins to slow down, and we have less energy.

If the human studies are run like the study on mice, the NMN will be pumped straight into the body via injection.

But why wait for a study or experimental injections?

Broccoli isn't "experimental." It's good for you -- and the researchers even admit you could get the human equivalent of the amounts used in the study from diet alone if you make a point of eating NWM-rich foods.

That means it's time to make peace with broccoli and find a place for it on your dinner plate as often as possible.

Other great sources of NMN include cabbage, cucumbers, edamame beans, and avocado.

Broccoli can beat arthritis

It's the painkiller hidden in the produce aisle -- a safe and natural blend of nutrients such as sulforaphane with the power to fight inflammation and maybe even prevent the misery of arthritis.

And you can get it for a buck or two a pound.

Is that a bargain or what?

It's broccoli, of course, and ounce for ounce you just won't find a more powerful concentration of critical vitamins. But today, I want to focus on just one of them: a sulfur compound called sulforaphane.

In a series of experiments, mice given a diet rich in sulforaphane had less of the joint and cartilage damage linked to osteoarthritis than mice not given the compound.

When the experiment was repeated on human and cow tissue, same thing happened -- and it's almost certainly because sulforaphane can block the enzymes that cause inflammation in cartilage.

Less inflammation means less damage to the cartilage -- and if you can prevent that damage to the cartilage, you can avoid the pain of osteoarthritis, aka the "wear and tear" form of the disease that strikes many of us as we age.

Next up, researchers plan a clinical trial to see if it works in humans ready to get surgery for their own osteoarthritis.

But why wait?

This isn't a drug experiment. It's broccoli, something we already know is healthy and something you should be eating anyway. And while broccoli is the best natural source of sulforaphane, you'll also find it in other cruciferous vegetables such as cabbage, cauliflower and Brussels sprouts.

Along with possibly slowing or even preventing osteoarthritis, sulforaphane is a proven inflammation-fighter that can help protect against other major diseases, up to and including cancer.

Broccoli is also packed with essential minerals such as iron and potassium as well as nearly an entire alphabet's worth of vitamins -- and it tastes great steamed, grilled, boiled, broiled, baked and raw.

Just be sure to get yours organic to make sure you get all of the nutrients without a dose of pesticides and other chemicals.