Why does a study recommend eating broccoli and cabbage?

Does eating broccoli or cabbage reduce the severity of skin sensitivity? That’s what he points out A study presented by the National Institute of Health and Medical Research (Inserm) on Tuesday, May 16, that emphasized the importance of a balanced diet for patients with these skin reactions.

Researchers from Inserm and the Curie Institute first showed that a lack of compounds found in some vegetables, particularly broccoli and cabbage, in the diet can exacerbate skin allergies in animal models. This study was published in the scientific journal in English eLife.

Importance of nutrients in cruciferous vegetables

We already knew that skin allergies are caused by an inappropriate immune response to compounds in the environment, and that the degree of severity varies according to many factors, including diet.

In their work, the scientists were specifically interested in food compounds that act on a molecule found in the body, called the “aromatic hydrocarbon receptor” (AhR). These nutrients are naturally found in cruciferous vegetables, such as broccoli.

They showed that the absence of these nutrients in mice was associated with an increased inflammatory state in the skin and exacerbation of skin sensitivity. This was not the case for mice that received a diet containing these compounds, which are found particularly in broccoli and cabbage.

The risks of an unbalanced diet for sensitive skin?

But how do we explain the biological mechanisms triggered by these nutrients? In the absence of the latter, the researchers noticed an overproduction of a molecule called TGF-beta, in the skin of the mice. This overproduction disrupts the normal functioning of a class of immune cells, the Langerhans cells, which are found exclusively in the skin and act as “modulators of cutaneous immune responses.”

The scientists then showed that compounds that activate the AhR receptor (aromatic hydrocarbon receptor) also control the production of TGF-beta in human skin cells.

“Our results indicate thatAn unbalanced diet may increase allergic skin reactions in humanscommented Elodie Segura, the Inserm researcher who led this study at the Curie Institute, and is quoted in a press release.

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