Fighting lung infection? Eating cruciferous vegetables like kale, cauliflower, broccoli, or cabbage can help ease infection, according to a study conducted in mice. Researchers at the Francis Crick Institute found that the AHR -- aryl hydrocarbon receptor -- is a protein found at barrier sites like the gut and the lung.

The natural molecules in these cruciferous vegetables are dietary ‘ligands’ for AHR, which means, once eaten, they activate AHR to target a number of genes. Some of the genes targeted switch off the AHR system, allowing it to self-regulate. The effect of AHR on immune cells is well understood, but the research, published in the journal Nature, now shows that AHR is also highly active in endothelial cells lining blood vessels in the lung.