The incredible powers of broccoli

The discovery of a clot-busting chemical in an everyday green vegetable could help save lives.

World-first Australian research has revealed an insect-fighting chemical found in normal broccoli can help prevent strokes.

Broccoli could be used to treat strokes, after scientists discovered a chemical in the green vegetable can help fight blood clots.

Clots kill thousands of Australians each year, whose main hope — bar surgery — is a drug that works on just one in five acute ischaemic strokes called tPa.

But world-first Australian research has revealed an insect-fighting chemical found in normal broccoli can triple the effectiveness of tPa and prevent strokes in the first place.

The Heart Research Institute preclinical study found the chemical influences platelets, cells in our blood which are supposed to group together to stop wounds bleeding but — if they form a clot in the wrong place like our brain — cut off oxygen supply.

Dr Xuyu Liu said they believed the chemical reduced the risk of a strange but common tPa side effect, where loosening the very clot causing the stroke “can trigger another clot”.

Broccoli may have incredible clot-busting abilities. Picture: Cameron Bates

“This process initiates platelet activities which … can potentially form another new clot in the same position,” he said.

He said their preclinical trials — published in ACS Central Science — showed tPa was successful in more than half of all cases when given alongside the broccoli-based compound, compared to just 20 per cent without it.

“It enhances about three times its performance,” he said.

He said the molecule, which helped broccoli launch a “chemical weapon” against insects, was also known to have anti-cancer properties.

“We noticed that this natural protective mechanism, once it entered human circulation, improved the health of the blood and regulates the platelet activity to prevent it from misbehaving,” he said.

He said the next step would be human trials, but they thankfully knew it was already safe for people in concentrated forms thanks to previous cancer research.

Dr Liu said a “mechanical crush” – such as chopping – “will release the natural product of the cells” but cooking broccoli at high temperatures would destroy the chemicals.

“There are many clot preventing agents that have been trialled for stroke, but they have all to my best knowledge failed because they caused excess bleeding in the brain,” he said.

“Excitingly, this naturally occurring compound does not cause any signs of bleeding”.

He said treatment — ideally given intravenously alongside tPa — could be available in as little as five years if successful and the dose was equivalent to the chemicals in three to four servings (270 to 360 grams) of broccoli.

He said he’d be “really proud” if the research — the work of phd student Ivy Guan — led to better treatment and it could also be used as a “preventive agent” for high-risk patients.

“We want to understand how nature is giving us gifts to improve our health,” he said.