Broccoli sprouts contain sulforaphane, a substance that has anti-bacterial and anti-cancer properties. Sulforaphane is found in cruciferous vegetables such as brussel sprouts, cauliflower, bok choy, kale, broccoli, cabbage, collards, kohlrabi, mustard, turnip, radish, and watercress. Sulforaphane is a potent inducer of protective enzymes that provide defense against cancer-causing chemicals. Eating more broccoli and other cruciferous vegetables is associated with a lower risk of bladder cancer.

Broccoli Sprouts, Source Naturals


A number of studies have shown that a diet rich in cruciferous vegetable such as broccoli, Brussels Sprouts, cabbage and cauliflower can be beneficial to your health. Researchers have isolated a key component of broccoli called sulforaphane, which may have many protective properties. Sulforaphane, an isothiocyanate is believed to stimulate enzymes in the body. Freshly germinated Broccoli sprouts contain 30 to 50 times the concentration of isothiocyanate as nature broccoli. Source Naturals Broccoli Sprouts Extract provides 2,000 mcg sulforphane daily equivalent to eating more than a pound of fresh broccoli.

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Broccoli Sprouts Supplement Facts
Calcium
Broccoli Sprouts Standardized Extract yielding 2,000 mcg Sulforaphane

* Broccoli Sprouts daily value not established.
Suggested Use: One or two broccoli sprouts tablets daily, or as recommended by your health care professional.

Benefit of broccoli sprouts
Human Study Finds Broccoli Sprouts Boost Body's Ability to Eliminate Cancer-Causing Toxins - Researchers from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and Bloomberg School of Public Health have observed that broccoli sprouts can help the body detoxify carcinogens, which may reduce the risk of developing liver cancer. The study used three-day-old broccoli sprouts with known levels of sulforaphane glucosinolate and involved 200 subjects. November, 2005 issue of Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers & Prevention.

Broccoli and immune system
Diindolylmethane also known as DIM, the compound in broccoli and other Brassica vegetables such as cabbage, kale and Brussels sprouts, helps to boost the immune response when give to mice.

Broccoli sprout extract and skin cancer
Broccoli sprout extract, derived from newly sprouted broccoli seeds, reduces skin redness and damage. Dr. Paul Talalay of Johns Hopkins University found that broccoli sprout extract boosted the production of protective enzymes that defend against UV-related damage. Dr. Paul Talalay has been looking into the benefits of sulforaphane -- a compound in broccoli sprout extract -- since the early 1990s. Dr. Paul Talalay and colleagues tried broccoli sprout extract on six people, testing different doses of the extract on several small patches of skin, which was then exposed to a short pulse of UV radiation sufficient to cause varying degrees of sunburn. At the highest doses, the extract reduced redness and swelling. The researchers think broccoli sprout extract might be useful in protecting against exposure to UV radiation, especially in people with suppressed immune systems who are most at risk for skin cancer.

Broccoli sprout and bladder cancer
An extract from broccoli sprouts can reduce the risk of bladder cancer by providing a high dose of isothiocyanates, in particular sulforaphane. Rats fed an extract of broccoli sprouts show increased production in their bladder tissue of two enzymes crucial for protecting cells from oxidants and cancer-promoting chemicals. People lacking these enzymes are at increased risk of bladder cancer. Cancer Research, March 1, 2008.

Broccoli and prostate cancer
Eating broccoli may help reduce the risk of prostate cancer. Richard Mithen, a biologist at Britain's Institute of Food Research. believes sulforaphane, found in high amounts in broccoli, initiates hundreds of genetic changes, activating some genes that fight cancer and switching off others that stimulate tumors. Richard Mithen divided into two groups 24 men with pre-cancerous lesions that increase prostate cancer risk and had them eat four extra servings of either broccoli or peas each week for a year. Men who ate broccoli showed hundreds of changes in genes known to play a role in fighting cancer. Richard Mithen thinks that the benefit would likely be similar in other cruciferous vegetables that contain a compound called isothiocyanate, including Brussel sprouts, cauliflower, cabbage, watercress and horseradish. Broccoli, however, has a particularly powerful type of the compound called sulforaphane.

Broccoli Sprout Safety
Safety, tolerance, and metabolism of broccoli sprout glucosinolates and isothiocyanates: a clinical phase I study.
Nutr Cancer. 2006;55(1):53-62.
Broccoli sprouts are widely consumed in many parts of the world. There have been no reported concerns with respect to their tolerance and safety in humans. A formal phase I study of safety, tolerance, and pharmacokinetics appeared justified because broccoli sprouts are being used as vehicles for the delivery of the glucosinolate glucoraphanin and its cognate isothiocyanate sulforaphane [1-isothiocyanato-(4R)-(methylsulfinyl)butane] in clinical trials. Such trials have been designed to evaluate protective efficacy against development of neoplastic and other diseases. A placebo-controlled, double-blind, randomized clinical study of broccoli sprout extracts containing either glucosinolates (principally glucoraphanin, the precursor of sulforaphane) or isothiocyanates (principally sulforaphane) was conducted on healthy volunteers who were in-patients on our clinical research unit. Conclusion: No significant or consistent subjective or objective abnormal events (toxicities) associated with any of the sprout extract ingestions were observed.

Broccoli Sprouts Research Update
Protection against UV-light-induced skin carcinogenesis in SKH-1 high-risk mice by sulforaphane-containing broccoli sprout extracts.
Cancer Lett. 2005 Nov 2; [Epub ahead of print] Dinkova-Kostova AT, Jenkins SN, Fahey JW, Ye L, Wehage SL, Liby KT, Stephenson KK, Wade KL, Talalay P.
The Lewis B. and Dorothy Cullman Cancer Chemoprotection Center, Department of Pharmacology and Molecular Sciences, School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, 725 N. Wolfe Street, Baltimore, Maryland 21205
Aerobic life, UV solar radiation, genetic susceptibility, and immune status contribute collectively to the development of human skin cancers. In addition to direct DNA damage, UV radiation promotes the generation of reactive oxygen intermediates that can cause oxidative damage and inflammation, and ultimately lead to tumor formation. Treatment of murine and human keratinocytes with the isothiocyanate sulforaphane elevated phase 2 enzymes and glutathione and protected against oxidant toxicity. Topical application of sulforaphane-containing broccoli sprouts extracts induced the phase 2 response in mouse skin in vivo. Sulforaphane inhibited cytokine-dependent (gamma-interferon or lipopolysaccharide) induction of iNOS in RAW 264.7 macrophages. The UV-radiation-induced skin carcinogenesis in 'initiated high-risk mice' was substantially inhibited by broccoli sprout extracts containing sulforaphane. After completion of the UV irradiation schedule (30mJ/cm(2)/session twice a week for 20 weeks), groups of approximately 30 mice were treated topically on their backs (5 days a week for 11 weeks) with broccoli sprout extract containing either the equivalent to 0.3mumol (low dose) or 1.0mumol (high dose) sulforaphane, respectively. At this time point, the tumor incidence had reached 100% in the control mice. Tumor burden, incidence, and multiplicity were reduced by 50% in the animals that received the high dose of protector. Tumor incidence and multiplicity did not differ between the low dose-treated and the control groups, but the low dose treatment resulted in a substantial reduction of the overall tumor burden. Thus, topical application of sulforaphane-containing broccoli sprout extracts is a promising strategy for protecting against skin tumor formation after exposure to UV radiation.

A human trial conducted in China shows broccoli sprouts can help the body detoxify carcinogens, which may reduce the risk of developing liver cancer. A team from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and Bloomberg School of Public Health, in collaboration with scientists at the Qidong Liver Cancer Institute, Jiao Tong University in Shanghai and the University of Minnesota Cancer Center, conducted the study. It is published in the November issue of Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers & Prevention. The blinded, placebo-controlled study was conducted in Jiangsu Province near Shanghai, a rural area where the incidence of liver cancer is extremely high due to consumption of foods tainted with aflatoxin, a powerful carcinogen produced by mold contaminating the grain that the population grows and eats. The toxin binds to DNA and becomes a chemical indicator, or biomarker, for an increased risk of developing liver cancer. Three-day-old broccoli sprouts with known levels of sulforaphane glucosinolate (SGS(TM)) were grown at the site in China and prepared as a liquid extract to ensure standard dosages. One hundred test subjects drank five ounces of the extract (equivalent to eating about two ounces of broccoli sprouts) each day for two weeks. A control group drank a similar extract that contained virtually no SGS. Tests of subjects' urine showed carcinogens were being detoxified and removed from the body in those who drank the SGS extract. As the levels of sulforaphane derivatives in the urine increased, the amount of DNA damage decreased, which may indicate a reduction in cancer risk. In 1992, scientists at Johns Hopkins first determined that broccoli contained high levels of the long-lasting antioxidant sulforaphane. In 1997, they discovered that three-day-old broccoli sprouts contained more than a 20 times higher concentration of SGS than mature broccoli. More than 350 studies have appeared in peer-reviewed scientific publications pointing to sulforaphane and SGS from broccoli and broccoli sprouts as powerful health protectors. Broccoli sprouts are available in the produce sections of most major supermarkets in the U.S.

Broccoli Sprouts questions
Q. Can a broccoli sprout supplement be used the same day as saw palmetto or krill oil?
   A. I don't see any conflict between these supplements.

Q. I've read that at least one company suggests that broccoli extract is only really effective if the ingredient listed is "sulforaphane glucosinolate" or SGS. I guess they are saying that if it says only glucoraphanin then it's not as effective. Is there a difference? They claim that their process is patent pending and they know exactly the amount of sulforaphane glucosinolate in their seeds / sprouts. Is this accurate or will any brand do the same? Is 30 mg of sulforaphane glucosinolate each day too a high dose because I noticed that the Source Naturals is listed as only 2 mg per day?
   A. Any statements regarding sulforaphane as it relates to the ideal form or the ideal daily dosages are speculative since hardly any human trials are available to determine the proper dosages and frequency of use, what the benefits are for humans when sulforaphane is ingested in supplement form, and whether there are any side effects.