--- title: Broccoli’s Benefits in Preventing Arthritis description: Even if you're not a fan of broccoli, your joints may be. 7135635 canonical: https://time.com/archive/7135635/broccolis-benefits-in-preventing-arthritis/ author: TIME Staff article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2013-08-28T14:00:08.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-03-16T09:54:48.526Z article:section: Health og:title: Broccoli’s Benefits in Preventing Arthritis og:description: Even if you're not a fan of broccoli, your joints may be. 7135635 og:url: https://time.com/archive/7135635/broccolis-benefits-in-preventing-arthritis/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf02834c33316bb68/698a9287c9e9416cdd123830/168677482-copy.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: 168677482 og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Broccoli’s Benefits in Preventing Arthritis twitter:description: Even if you're not a fan of broccoli, your joints may be. 7135635 twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf02834c33316bb68/698a9287c9e9416cdd123830/168677482-copy.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Health](/section/health/) # Broccoli's Benefits in Preventing Arthritis by [TIME Staff](https://time.com/author/time-staff/) Aug 28, 2013 2:00 PM UTC  fresh brokkoli florets on white plate fresh brokkoli florets on white plateGetty Images/Flickr RF by [TIME Staff](https://time.com/author/time-staff/) Aug 28, 2013 2:00 PM UTC Even if you’re not a fan of broccoli, your joints may be. more Nutritionists have rhapsodized about the various benefits of [broccoli](http://healthland.time.com/2011/10/28/the-healthland-podcast-super-broccoli-yo-yo-dieting-and-why-toddlers-are-terrible/) — the cruciferous vegetable is stuffed with vitamins A, B, K, C, as well as nutrients such as potassium, [zinc](http://healthland.time.com/2012/05/07/zinc-for-the-common-cold-study-finds-weak-evidence-that-it-works/) and fiber — and arthritis sufferers may soon join them. Along with its cousins brussel sprouts, cauliflower and cabbage, broccoli contains sulfur compounds that can filter out carcinogens that promote tumor growth. And the latest study, published in the journal _Arthritis & Rheumatism_, shows that those substances may also battle [inflammation](http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,993419,00.html), which is at the root of [osteoarthritis](http://healthland.time.com/2012/05/31/5-common-myths-about-arthritis-debunked/), a painful, degenerative joint disease in which cartilage that normally protects joints starts to wear away under the influence of the inflammatory factors. For the estimated 12.4 million people affected by arthritis in the U.S. these results are certainly welcome news. (**MORE:**[](http://healthland.time.com/2012/09/11/acupuncture-may-help-reduce-chronic-pain-after-all/)[Acupuncture May Offer Real Relief for Chronic Pain](http://healthland.time.com/2012/09/11/acupuncture-may-help-reduce-chronic-pain-after-all/)) Starting with studies in mice, the researchers found that animals that ate a diet high in the sulforaphane found in broccoli had significantly less cartilage damage and signs of osteoarthritis compared to mice who did not consume sulforaphane. The team then moved to human and cow cartilage cells, and found that the sulforaphane was equally effective in protecting these cells from damage. The sulfur-based compound, they say, may be blocking enzymes that contribute to inflammation in cartilage, and the scientists are starting a trial to see if broccoli can protect a small group of arthritis patients getting knee replacement surgery. If that trial confirms these early results, that could help more people to avoid arthritis to begin with; although surgery can treat symptoms, protecting joints from irreversible damage would keep joints stronger for a longer period of time. “Although surgery is very successful, it is not really an answer. Once you have osteoarthritis, being able to slow its progress and the progression to surgery is really important, study author Ian Clark, professor of musculoskeletal biology at the University of East Anglia said in a statement. “Prevention would be preferable and changes to lifestyle, like diet, may be the only way to do that.” Not to mention that a broccoli-rich diet could lower risk of other chronic diseases like obesity, which prior studies have [connected to](http://healthland.time.com/2010/10/08/more-obesity-fallout-nearly-50-million-americans-with-arthritis/)…arthritis. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/archive/7135635/broccolis-benefits-in-preventing-arthritis/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/archive/7135635/broccolis-benefits-in-preventing-arthritis/"},"headline":"Broccoli's Benefits in Preventing Arthritis","datePublished":"2013-08-28T14:00:08.000Z","dateModified":"2026-03-16T09:54:48.526Z","description":"Even if you're not a fan of broccoli, your joints may be. 7135635","url":"https://time.com/archive/7135635/broccolis-benefits-in-preventing-arthritis/","keywords":[],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf02834c33316bb68/698a9287c9e9416cdd123830/168677482-copy.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"TIME Staff","url":"https://time.com/author/time-staff/"}],"articleSection":"Health","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf02834c33316bb68/698a9287c9e9416cdd123830/168677482-copy.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"168677482","caption":"168677482","creditText":"Getty Images/Flickr RF","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/health/","name":"Health"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/archive/7135635/broccolis-benefits-in-preventing-arthritis/","name":"Broccoli's Benefits in Preventing Arthritis"}}]}] ```