“Cabbage Cousin” the Key to Solving Antibiotic Resistance?

Antibiotic resistance is already becoming a significant problem. But it will undoubtedly be one of the biggest threats that our children and grandchildren face in the future.

It’s hard to imagine now, but it won’t be long before any kind of bacterial infection—such as a sinus infection, an infected wound, or pneumonia—could turn deadly because antibiotics no longer work.

I’ve talked before about natural ways to help treat bacterial infections.

Today, I want to share a way to help make sure the bacteria never take hold to begin with. And it starts in the produce aisle.

If you don’t already get plenty of cruciferous vegetables in your diet, now is the time to start.

This family of vegetables includes staples like broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, and kale.

When your body digests cruciferous vegetables, a compound called DIM (diindolylmethane) is created.

Previous studies link eating more cruciferous vegetables with a reduced risk of cancer and hormonal imbalances – DIM is a big reason why.

And now, researchers have found that this compound could help with antibiotic resistance as well.

In this study, they discovered that DIM reduces biofilm formation in four gram-negative pathogenic bacteria by 80 percent.

Now I don’t expect you to know what that means exactly. But I can assure you this is an exciting finding, since breaking down the biofilm is the key to preventing antibiotic resistance.

But here’s where DIM really shines:

When combined with antibiotics, DIM inhibited the biofilm growth on two drug-resistant bacteria: A. baumannii and P. aeruginosa by 98 percent.

DIM alone might not do the trick completely, but when combined with antibiotics, it could give the drugs the boost that’s needed to prevent resistance.

It couldn’t hurt to have a DIM supplement on hand for the next time you need to take antibiotics.

In the meantime, eating more cruciferous vegetables will help naturally create more DIM in your body, which could help prevent an infection from taking hold to begin with.

 

P.S. Ladies when you munch on more cruciferous vegetables you won’t just be helping to ward off infections. You could be building a barrier against breast cancer too

SOURCE:

“Anti-Virulence Activity of 3,3′-Diindolylmethane (DIM): A Bioactive Cruciferous Phytochemical with Accelerated Wound Healing Benefits.” Pharmaceutics. 2022; 14(5):967. https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmaceutics14050967