Browse evidence-based analysis of health-related claims and assertions
Boiling spinach for a few minutes removes most of the compound that blocks your body from absorbing calcium, making the calcium in other foods easier to use.
Quantitative
Boiling beans for an hour makes them safe to eat by destroying harmful proteins that can make you sick if eaten raw.
For people with a certain gene combination, eating broccoli for two weeks actually made one inflammation marker go up instead of down.
Causal
How much of the active compounds from broccoli show up in urine doesn't predict changes in most inflammation markers in healthy young people.
Eating a moderate amount of broccoli for two weeks might lower inflammation in some people with a certain gene, but the effect isn't strong enough to be sure yet.
People with a certain gene variation who eat a lot of broccoli for two weeks see a small but measurable drop in proteins that control inflammation signals in their blood.
Eating broccoli every day for two weeks doesn't change several common blood markers of inflammation in healthy young people.
Even in people who can't break down certain compounds from broccoli well, the more of those compounds they have in their body, the lower their inflammation marker goes.
People with a certain gene variation who eat a lot of broccoli for two weeks see lower levels of two inflammation markers in their blood.
People with a specific genetic variation who eat a mix of broccoli and carrots for two weeks see big drops in two key inflammation markers in their blood.
Eating a mix of broccoli and carrots every day for two weeks slightly increases another inflammation marker in the blood of healthy young people.
Eating a mix of broccoli and carrots every day for two weeks lowers a blood inflammation marker just as much as eating a lot of broccoli alone.
Eating a lot of broccoli, cabbage, and similar veggies every day for two weeks can lower a key inflammation marker in the blood of healthy young people.
The special broccoli has about three times more of a key compound called glucoraphanin than regular broccoli, and that’s what makes it different.
This broccoli lowers a blood marker linked to heart disease, but it hasn’t been shown to prevent heart attacks or strokes.
Descriptive
Scientists think the broccoli works by turning on certain body signals that reduce cholesterol, but this idea comes from mouse studies, not from proof in people.
Mechanistic
People with a certain gene version (APOE4) tend to have higher bad cholesterol before they even start eating special broccoli, compared to those with another gene version (APOE2).
Correlational
Eating this special broccoli lowers bad cholesterol but doesn’t change good cholesterol, overall cholesterol, or fat levels in the blood.
The special broccoli lowers bad cholesterol equally well whether your cholesterol was already high or just a little elevated, but regular broccoli only helps if your cholesterol was already high.
Even when broccoli is cooked and frozen, it still lowers bad cholesterol, meaning our gut bacteria can turn its natural compounds into something beneficial.
This special broccoli lowers bad cholesterol about as much as other well-known heart-healthy foods like oats or plant sterols.
Whether people have certain common gene versions doesn’t change how much their bad cholesterol drops when they eat high-glucoraphanin broccoli.
Eating regular broccoli for three months doesn't lower bad cholesterol enough to be considered a real effect in this group of people.
Eating a specific type of broccoli with more of a natural compound called glucoraphanin for 3 months lowers bad cholesterol more than regular broccoli does.