Faced with the flu, researchers have shown that a molecule present in certain green vegetables could strengthen the pulmonary barrier.
It’s difficult to escape the flu virus as the epidemic is in full swing in France. No region is spared. We know it : diet has a big role to play, allowing you to boost your immune system and put all the chances on your side to avoid catching the disease or better fight it. Recently, researchers at the Francis Crick Institute in London (England) discovered that a molecule present in certain vegetables could help reduce viral lung infections like the flu. According to them, “The natural molecules found in cruciferous vegetables – for example broccoli, cabbage, kale, cauliflower or kale – are food “ligands” of assisted procreation, which means that once consumed, they target a certain number of genesincluding those capable of maintaining a healthy lung barrier“, they explain in their study published in the journal Nature.
Less lung damage and preserved weight
To achieve this result, the researchers carried out a series of experiments on mice voluntarily infected with the influenza virus. Half of the mice were fed a cruciferous diet (before and during infection) and the other maintained a usual diet. The researchers then looked at what was happening in their lungs.
► In mice that ate little cruciferous vegetables, blood was found in the lung spaces, suggesting that the pulmonary barrier was damaged and that the virus has indeed passed through it.
► On the other hand, in those who ate a lot of cruciferous vegetables, little blood was found in the lung spaces and they presented less lung damagewhich shows that the barrier was more solid and impervious to the virus. They also discovered that these mice didn’t lose as much weight when they were infected with the flu and were able to fight off the infection better.
Continue to eat it when you are sick
If the results have yet to be confirmed in humans, researchers believe that eating more cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli can only be beneficial against the flu. Before the illness and especially during it. “People may be less likely to maintain a good diet when they are sick, and so they do not absorb the molecules in vegetables that make the immune system work. It’s still a good idea to eat lots of cruciferous vegetablesbut this shows that it is even more important to continue eating it when you are sick“, they conclude. Broccoli is a natural antioxidant : it is a green vegetable rich in polyphenols, vitamin C (it is one of the vegetables that contains the most), in vegetable iron and in zinc, nutrients that contribute to the proper functioning of the immune system. It is also rich in sulforaphane, a molecule which has regenerative powers on the immune system which tends to weaken in winter or with age. As a reminder, the National Nutrition and Health Program recommends consuming at least 5 servings (of 80g minimum) of fruit or vegetables: ideally, 3 servings of vegetables and 2 of fruit. One of these portions could, for example, be broccoli or cabbage.