A small study hints that a substance in the crunchy veggy may help some with diabetes get better control of their blood sugar.
Researchers found that a concentrated extract of the substance, called sulforaphane, helped obese type 2 diabetes patients rein in their stubbornly high blood sugar levels.
The caveat, however, is that the study was short-term and small -- involving 97 people with diabetes followed for 12 weeks. And the extract was taken in addition to the diabetes drug metformin, not instead of it.
Plus, the extract the researchers used was not like the sulforaphane supplements available at your local health food store.
"The way that you produce and process the extract is important to keep the sulforaphane intact," said senior researcher Dr. Anders Rosengren, of the University of Gothenburg, in Sweden.
He said his team used a highly concentrated supplement that was tested for purity and side effects.
"At this point," Rosengren said, "we cannot recommend that anyone take the currently available extracts on the market to treat type 2 diabetes."