Browse evidence-based analysis of health-related claims and assertions
The special broccoli has about three times more of a key compound called glucoraphanin than regular broccoli, and that’s what makes it different.
Quantitative
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.
Causal
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.
Blood tests for fruit and vegetable nutrients are better at predicting diabetes risk than asking people what they ate, because people often misremember or misreport their diet.
The benefit of eating more fruits and vegetables for preventing diabetes is less strong in older people than in younger ones, possibly because aging changes how the body responds to nutrients.
Blood tests for vitamin C and plant pigments stay accurate even after years in storage, making them trustworthy tools to measure how much fruit and vegetables people eat over time.
Even after accounting for body weight, people who eat more fruits and vegetables still have a lower risk of type 2 diabetes, meaning the benefit isn’t just because they’re thinner.
People who eat at least five servings of fruits and vegetables a day — as estimated by blood tests — have about a one-third lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes than those who eat less.
Adding a little more fruit and veggies to your diet helps a lot if you’re eating little now — but adding even more beyond that doesn’t help as much.
Different plant pigments like lycopene (from tomatoes) and beta-carotene (from carrots) are linked to lower diabetes risk, but their benefits seem to work best together, not alone.
People with the highest levels of fruit and vegetable biomarkers in their blood are about half as likely to develop type 2 diabetes as those with the lowest levels.
Leafy greens might help prevent diabetes because they contain good nutrients like magnesium and antioxidants that help your body use insulin better and fight cell damage.
People who eat about 66 grams more fruits and vegetables each day — roughly one extra apple or a cup of carrots — have a 25% lower chance of getting type 2 diabetes, according to blood tests that measure plant nutrients.
There’s no sign that only studies showing benefits of leafy greens were published—so the results probably aren’t biased by hiding negative findings.
People with higher levels of carotenoids — natural pigments from fruits and vegetables — are significantly less likely to develop type 2 diabetes, even after accounting for weight and lifestyle.
Most studies asked people to remember what they ate over time, which isn’t very accurate—so the real link between leafy greens and diabetes might be even stronger than what was found.