A high dietary intake of cruciferous vegetables has been associated with a reduction in numerous human pathologies particularly cancer. Sulforaphane is found in cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli sprouts. Click on diet for healthy suggestions. I am not aware of a pure sulphoraphane supplement being sold at this time, although Broccoli Sprouts supplements are sold which have sulphoraphane in them. Sulforaphane may help detoxify certain body toxins. As of January of 2009, I am not aware of human research regarding the benefit of taking a sulforaphane supplement. Cooking broccoli reduces the levels of this beneficial substance.

Broccoli Sprouts capsules


A number of studies have shown that a diet rich in cruciferous vegetable such as broccoli, Brussels Sprouts, cabbage and cauliflower have health promoting properties. Researchers have isolated a key active component of broccoli called sulforaphane, an isothiocyanate believed to stimulate enzymes in the body. Freshly germinated Broccoli sprouts contain 30 to 50 times the concentration of isothiocyanate as mature broccoli. This extract provides 2,000 mcg sulforphane daily, equivalent to eating more than a pound of fresh broccoli.


Click here to purchase Broccoli Sprouts with sulforaphane

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Sulforaphane and skin disease
Sulforaphane may be helpful in treating epidermolysis bullosa simplex, a genetic skin disease that causes the skin to become fragile and blister easily from minor injuries or friction, such as rubbing or scratching. Blistering may affect the hands and feet and heals, while severe cases involve widespread blistering that can lead to infection, dehydration and may be life-threatening in infants. Dr. Pierre A. Coulombe, of Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, believes most cases of epidermolysis bullosa simplex are due to mutations in the genes encoding the proteins keratin 5 (K5) or keratin 14 (K14), proteins that normally form skins cells. Perhaps topical sulforaphane to treat epidermolysis bullosa simplex may offer relief. In mice, sulforaphane treatment resulted in the production of skin cells that relieve the blistering caused by a K14 deficiency.

Sulforaphane research and breast cancer
Broccoli and watercress suppress matrix metalloproteinase-9 activity and invasiveness of human MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells.
Toxicol Appl Pharmacol. 2005 Jun 10;
In the current study, we examined the inhibitory effects of broccoli (Brassica oleracea var. italica) and watercress (Rorripa nasturtium aquaticum) extracts on 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA)-induced cancer cell invasion and matrix metalloproteinase-9 activity using human MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells. Aberrant overexpression of matrix metalloproteinases, including metalloproteinase-9, is associated with increased invasive potential in cancer cell lines. Our results demonstrate that extracts of broccoli and Rorripa suppressed TPA-induced MMP-9 activity and invasiveness in a concentration dependant manner as determined by zymographic analysis. Furthermore, fractionation of individual extracts followed by liquid chromatography mass spectroscopy analysis (LC-MS) revealed that the inhibitory effects of each vegetable were associated with the presence of 4-methysulfinylbutyl ( sulforaphane ) and 7-methylsulphinylheptyl isothiocyanates. Taken together, our data indicate that isothiocyanates derived form broccoli and Rorripa inhibit metalloproteinase 9 activities and also suppress the invasive potential of human MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells in vitro. The inhibitory effects observed in the current study may contribute to the suppression of carcinogenesis by diets high in cruciferous vegetables.

Sulforaphane and prostate cancer
Sulforaphane -induced cell death in human prostate cancer cells is initiated by reactive oxygen species.
J Biol Chem. 2005 May 20;280(20):19911-24. Epub 2005 Mar 11.
We have shown previously that sulforaphane, a constituent of many edible cruciferous vegetables including broccoli, suppresses growth of prostate cancer cells in culture as well as in vivo by causing apoptosis, but the sequence of events leading to cell death is poorly defined. These observations indicate that Sulforaphane -induced ROS generation is probably mediated by a nonmitochondrial mechanism involving GSH depletion as well as a mitochondrial component. Ectopic expression of Bcl-xL, but not Bcl-2, in PC-3 cells offered significant protection against the cell death caused by Sulforaphane. In addition, SFN treatment resulted in an increase in the level of Fas, activation of caspase-8, and cleavage of Bid. Furthermore, SV40-immortalized mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs) derived from Bid knock-out mice displayed significant resistance toward Sulforaphane -induced apoptosis compared with wild-type MEFs. In conclusion, the results of the present study indicate that Sulforaphane -induced apoptosis in prostate cancer cells is initiated by ROS generation and that both intrinsic and extrinsic caspase cascades contribute to the cell death caused by this highly promising cancer chemopreventive agent.

Retinal health
Sulforaphane induces thioredoxin through the antioxidant-responsive element and attenuates retinal light damage in mice.
Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2005 Mar;46(3):979-87.
Thioredoxin is a multifunctional endogenous redox regulator that protects cells against various types of cellular or tissue stresses. This study was conducted to test whether sulforaphane, a naturally occurring isothiocyanate that is highly concentrated in broccoli sprouts, induces Thioredoxin in retinal tissues and whether pretreatment with sulforaphane protects against light-induced retinal damage in mice. Sulforaphane induced Thioredoxin in murine retina and effectively reduced retinal light damage. Evidence suggests that the ARE is involved in the mechanism of Thioredoxin induction by sulforaphane in RPE cells.

Cooking reduces levels of sulforaphane
Bioavailability and kinetics of sulforaphane in humans after consumption of cooked versus raw broccoli.
J Agric Food Chem. 2008 Nov 26; Vermeulen M, Klöpping-Ketelaars IW, van den Berg R, Vaes WH. TNO Quality of Life, AJ Zeist, The Netherlands.
The aim of this study was to determine the bioavailability and kinetics of sulforaphane, the hydrolysis product of glucoraphanin, from raw and cooked broccoli. Eight men consumed 200 g of crushed broccoli, raw or cooked, with a warm meal in a randomized, free-living, open cross-over trial. Higher amounts of sulforaphane were found in the blood and urine when broccoli was eaten raw (bioavailability of 37%) versus cooked (3%). Absorption of sulforaphane was delayed when cooked broccoli was consumed (peak plasma time ) 6 h) versus raw broccoli (1.6 h, p ). This study shows that consumption of raw broccoli results in faster absorption, higher bioavailability, and higher peak plasma amounts of sulforaphane, compared to cooked broccoli.

Sulforaphane questions
Q. I have a daughter who is taking Coumadin daily for Protein C deficiency. Does the Broccoli-Sprouts extract sulforaphane have any Vitamin K in it? I would like to have her take this supplement but need to be sure of the Vitamin K content.
   A. We are not aware of broccoli sprouts extracts to have any vitamin K. Sulforaphane is a substance that is different than vitamin K. We have not seen studies that have evaluated the interaction of Coumadin with broccoli sprout extract supplement use.

Q. I am a PhD research student in Australia; my research is in sulforaphane, so I was interested to see you have written about broccoli sprouts in the context of their bioactivity. I see you refer to a product which claims to yield 2000mcg sulforaphane per 500 mg serving (2 capsules). I am working with an Australian product which yields sulforaphane 12,000 mcg per gram or 6000 mcg per 500mg capsule. We will begin on a clinical trial in a few months time and have been characterising the product itself in the lead up to the trial. Many of the available products are brown in colour, whereas this product is a rich green. I thought you may be interested in comparing this product against the one you are currently recommending.

I was reading your site info on sulforaphane and noticed that you state you are unaware of any company selling it. I would suggest that you look at Xymogen. They are a health professional supplier only but they have an excellent sulforaphane product. I have no connection with the company other than I am a customer and use their products for myself and my patients.