Benefit-Boosting Broccoli Sprouts B
roccoli has become a gold medal contend- er among vegetables, so how often should
we eat it to reap all of its health benefits? Eliza- beth Jeffery, a University of Illinois professor of nutritional sciences, explains: “Broccoli, pre- pared correctly, is an extremely potent cancer- fighting agent—three to five servings a week are enough to have an effect. To get broccoli’s benefits, though, the enzyme myrosinase has to be present; if not, sulforaphane, broccoli’s cancer-preventive and anti-inflammatory com- ponent, doesn’t form.” According to Jeffery, myrosinase is often
destroyed by overcooking. Health-conscious consumers that use broccoli powder supple- ments in recipes to boost their nutrition also are missing out, she says, because the supple- ments often do not contain the needed enzyme. A solution: Jeffery suggests incorporating fresh broccoli sprouts into our
diet. Available at most grocery and health food stores, the sprouts contain abundant myrosinase.
Source: University of Illinois College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences
The Write Stuff Eases Anxiety S
tudents can combat test anxiety and post better results by writing about their worries just before taking an exam, according to a recent Univer- sity of Chicago study published in the journal Science. Those prone to testing jitters improved their high-stakes test scores by nearly one grade point after they were given 10 minutes beforehand to write about what was causing their fears.
Sian Beilock, an associate profes-
ELECTROMAGNETIC THERAPY LIFTS THE BLUES
A
study published in the journal Brain Stimulation, involving 301 patients, found that transcranial mag- netic stimulation (TMS) non-invasive therapy can be an effective, long- term treatment for major depression. TMS works by delivering a series of electrical pulses to the part of the brain associated with depression and other mood disorders. This generates an electric current in the brain that stimulates neurons to increase the release of mood-enhancing chemi- cals such as serotonin, dopamine and norepinephrine. TMS has been approved by the
U.S. Food and Drug Administration and can be performed on an outpa- tient basis in a psychiatrist’s office.
Source: Loyola University Medical Center
natural awakenings September 2011 15
sor in psychology and the study’s senior author, is one of the nation’s leading experts on the phenomenon of “chok- ing under pressure,” instances in which talented people perform below their skill level when presented with a par- ticularly challenging experience. She explains that feeling under pressure can deplete a part of the brain’s processing power known as working memory, a sort of mental scratch pad that allows us to retrieve and use information relevant to the task at hand. The writing exercise allowed students to unload their anxieties before taking the test and freed up the needed brainpower to complete it with greater success. Beilock adds, “We think this type of writing will help people perform their best in a variety of pressure-filled situations, whether it is a big presenta- tion to a client, a speech to an audience or even a job interview.”
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