Does boiling broccoli eliminate its anti-estrogen effects?

[NeonQwerty]

I read in a few places some that broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage help lower levels of estrogen and boost available testosterone. Being a lazy man outside of the gym, I usually eat my veggies by making a giant soup. I was never worried about vitamins "leaking" into the broth, since I drink it anyway, but my biochemist roommate suggested that boiling the vegetables may degrade whatever it is that gives them their purported anabolic effects. Does anyone know if this is the case?

Also, I usually buy frozen, not fresh broccoli. If soup isn't a viable option, could someone recommend the best way to eat it in order to keep the degradation to a minimum?

Thanks!

[IrockZ]

there is a such thing as "over cooking" i steam my broccoli but i do not let it get to discolored and soft. the less you cook it the more nutrients/vitamins its going to have. the exception to this rule howver is tomatoes. the more you cook them the more nutrient dense they become.. so basically dont let ur broccoli turn into total mush and ull b fine.. hope this helps..
Z

[NeonQwerty]

there is a such thing as "over cooking" i steam my broccoli but i do not let it get to discolored and soft. the less you cook it the more nutrients/vitamins its going to have. the exception to this rule howver is tomatoes. the more you cook them the more nutrient dense they become.. so basically dont let ur broccoli turn into total mush and ull b fine.. hope this helps..
Z

Fantastic. The ONE veggie I prefer raw... heh.

[pharaoh7]

Really? I never knew this.
You don't have a link to this by any chance?

I'm gonna have to run out and get some fresh brocolli then. Might as well eat it raw, you're aways going to lose some amount of nutrients if you cook it.

[in10city]

I read in a few places some that broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage help lower levels of estrogen and boost available testosterone. Being a lazy man outside of the gym, I usually eat my veggies by making a giant soup. I was never worried about vitamins "leaking" into the broth, since I drink it anyway, but my biochemist roommate suggested that boiling the vegetables may degrade whatever it is that gives them their purported anabolic effects. Does anyone know if this is the case?

Also, I usually buy frozen, not fresh broccoli. If soup isn't a viable option, could someone recommend the best way to eat it in order to keep the degradation to a minimum?

Thanks!

It can possibly make them more bioavailable...

http://www.vegetarian-nutrition.info...ochemicals.htm
"Are the phytochemicals destroyed by cooking? Most of the compounds are heat stable and are not significantly lost in the cooking water. While vitamin C is partially lost by cooking, the availability of carotenoids and the level of indoles in broccoli may actually be increased during cooking."

Additional Reference : D Schardt. Phytochemicals: plants against cancer. Nutr Action Health Lett 1994;21(3):1,9-11.

[PopeGregorius]

http://www.ufscc.ufl.edu/Professiona...rnews&id=35100
"Phytoestrogens are plant-derived non-steroidal compounds found in soy products, unrefined grain products, carrots, spinach, broccoli and other fruits and vegetables"

Exactly the opposite of the original post.

[NeonQwerty]

http://www.ufscc.ufl.edu/Professiona...rnews&id=35100
"Phytoestrogens are plant-derived non-steroidal compounds found in soy products, unrefined grain products, carrots, spinach, broccoli and other fruits and vegetables"

Exactly the opposite of the original post.

That's the position I had too for a while, but...

"Broccoli and cauliflower may mitigate some effects of some estrogens. Soy products may help your liver metabolize/excrete excess estrogen.

Isoflavones found in soy (like genistein and diadzein) block some receptor sites where estrogen binds to cells. The effect is to prevent estrogen from accumulating in your body"

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/planet32.htm

7) BROCCOLI

WHAT'S INSIDE: Indole-3-carbinol, fiber

THE FACTS: "Elevated estrogen levels lead to fat accumulation and can interfere with muscle growth," says M & F contributor Chris Aceto, author of Championship Bodybuilding. In a clinical study, indole-3-carbinol cut the largely female hormone estradiol in half for men. "Broccoli contains high levels of indoles, food compounds that help reduce bad estrogen," adds Aceto.

http://www.findarticles.com/p/articl...66/ai_n8583377

and

4. DIM for Men -- Activating Testosterone

DIM (found in broccoli, according to the site. -NQ)) helps to eliminate active estrogen from the male body by promoting its conversion into the "good" metabolites. These metabolites then free up testosterone by bumping it off the testosterone-binding proteins. The end result is a healthier balance of testosterone to estrogen and more free testosterone circulating in the body. In scientific studies, high levels of testosterone and low levels of estrogen have been linked to lean body mass, an efficient fat-burning metabolism, and low abdominal obesity. Other benefits from testosterone are improved mood, more interest in sex, and better physical conditioning. In this chapter, we'll explore these issues in more detail.

http://www.dimfaq.com/site/toc.htm

The idea seems to be that broccoli has estrogen-like compounds that bind to estrogen receptors, yes, but that in doing so they prevent more potent forms of estrogen from binding to these same receptors. To use a weird analogy, I understand it as choosing to hold something uncomfortably hot in your hand in order to have your hands full when someone says "Okay, I really need someone to hold this scalding disease-ridden object. Whose hands are free?"

I'm fine with being proven wrong here, but that's the logic.

[sumptuoussweat]

In addition to Phytoestrogens broccoli, a cruciferous vegetables of the brassica family, among other great anabolic and macronutrient rich (builder) foods, are highly goitrogenic. Goitrogens are foods that *suppress thyroid function* by interfering with iodine uptake. Goitrogens are substances that can also cause goiters, i.e., an enlargement of the thyroid gland.

In healthy people with optimal thyroid function these foods are perfectly safe to consume; for anyone with an under functioning or low level thyroid panel, it is best to avoid consuming *any amounts* of *raw* goitrogen rich foods as they will just further *inhibit metabolic responses* via thyroid regulation.

Alternatively, if you want to remain practical about benefiting from eating these foods for their excellent macros and are less concerned about thyroid suppression, then they can still be consumed. If suppression is a concern, than eat them in less frequent and smaller amounts that are *cooked well*. As they previously mentioned, cooking a food without over cooking it will help to reduce its overall composition (phytoestrogens included). Cooking can reduce up to 1/3 or possibly more of the amount of goitrogens present in raw forms (e.g. broccoli).

[Gxp23]

wow, looking into this way to much, just eat your veggies what ever it is, you aint gonna get bich tits over night from eating broc alone.