You may not have heard of sulforaphane, but you&#;ll definitely want its benefits.
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This tiny sulfur-based nutrient is one of the reasons why dark green vegetables like broccoli, Brussels sprouts and even cauliflower are so good for you.
Sulforaphane is a powerful phytochemical and research is starting to show it may help protect your body against cancer.
It is found in all cruciferous vegetables including kale, bok choy, cabbage and more.
It neutralizes toxins. Phytochemicals like sulforaphane are antioxidants that cancel out free radicals. Free radical are tiny particles that weaken and damage healthy cells. They form in your body because of pollution, UV rays, food additives and preservatives, and even through natural processes like digestion.
It reduces inflammation. Because sulforaphane neutralizes toxins, it also calms inflammation in your body. Inflammation has been linked to several kinds of cancer.
It may protect your DNA. Some studies have shown that sulforaphane blocks mutations in DNA that lead to cancer.
It may slow tumor growth. Sulforaphane has been shown to reduce the ability of cancerous cells to multiply. That means it may slow tumor growth or reduce its ability to spread to other parts of your body.
It is readily available. You don&#;t have to do anything complicated to access the sulforaphane in cruciferous vegetables. All you have to do is steam the veggies or eat them raw. Roasting them also retains most of the nutrients.
The best way to access this nutrient is to eat it in its plant form, along with a variety of other vegetables, fruits and whole grains.
That&#;s because there are many other nutrients in plant foods and it&#;s likely they all work together to provide the most benefit.
&#;We aren&#;t sure if it&#;s one phytochemical that&#;s working against cancer or if it&#;s a combination of all of them,&#; says MD Anderson Research Dietitian Erma Levy. &#;Many different phytochemicals have been shown to have anti-cancer properties and no one fruit or vegetable will provide everything your body needs.&#;
This means supplements are out because they isolate nutrients and remove many of the benefits of plants.
Also out are broccoli-only diets. To ensure you get all the benefits, always focus on eating a variety of different colored plant foods.
Sulforaphane is associated with leafy vegetables that are usually green but can be purple. But plants of other colors have different phytochemicals and antioxidants.
And the way you cook them can increase the amount of healthy nutrients available to you. For example, cooked tomatoes have more lycopene. Lycopene also helps reduce your cancer risk.
Here are more vital nutrients and tips on how to eat them.
Whatever you do, use healthy cooking techniques and avoid methods that destroy the benefits of plants. That includes deep frying, adding a lot of sugar and coating vegetables in cream or cheese sauces.
Sulforaphane is found in several vegetables, including broccoli and kale. You can also take a sulforaphane supplement.
This article reviews sulforaphane, including its benefits, possible side effects, and food sources.
It has been linked to health benefits, such as improved heart health and digestion.
Sulforaphane is a natural plant compound found in many cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, and kale.
Sulforaphane is a naturally occurring compound in cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, cabbage, and kale. It&#;s activated only when vegetables are chopped or chewed. The highest levels of sulforaphane are found in raw vegetables.
For this reason, it&#;s best to avoid boiling or microwaving cruciferous vegetables. Instead, eat them raw or lightly steamed to maximize their sulforaphane content.
It&#;s best to cook the vegetables below 284˚F (140˚C), as exceeding this temperature results in a loss of glucosinolates like glucoraphanin ( 4 ).
Steaming vegetables for one to three minutes may be the best way to optimize sulforaphane levels when cooking ( 3 ).
Raw vegetables have the highest levels of sulforaphane. One study found that raw broccoli had ten times more sulforaphane than cooked broccoli ( 2 ).
Myrosinase enzymes are only released and activated when a plant is damaged. Therefore, cruciferous vegetables must be cut, chopped, or chewed to release myrosinase and activate sulforaphane ( 1 ).
Sulforaphane is activated when glucoraphanin comes into contact with myrosinase, a family of enzymes that play a role in the defense response of plants.
In these foods, it&#;s in the inactive form glucoraphanin that belongs to the glucosinolate family of plant compounds.
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Sulforaphane is a sulfur-rich compound found in cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, bok choy, and cabbage . It has been shown to provide powerful health benefits.
Animal, test-tube, and human studies have indicated that sulforaphane may offer a number of health benefits.
Cancer is a potentially fatal disease characterized by the uncontrolled growth of cells.
Sulforaphane has been shown to have anticancer properties in a number of test-tube and animal studies, reducing both the size and number of various types of cancer cells (5, 6, 7).
Sulforaphane may also prevent cancer cell growth by releasing antioxidant and detoxification enzymes that protect against carcinogens &#; substances that cause cancer (8, 9, 10).
Keep in mind that these studies use a concentrated form of sulforaphane, so it&#;s unclear whether the amounts found in fresh foods have the same effect.
What&#;s more, it&#;s still unclear whether sulforaphane could be used in a clinical setting to lower cancer risk and reduce cancer growth in humans (10).
That said, population studies have linked a higher dietary intake of cruciferous vegetables like broccoli with a significantly reduced risk of cancer (11).
Researchers believe that compounds in these vegetables &#; including sulforaphane &#; are responsible for the potential anticancer properties (12).
Both test-tube and animal studies show that sulforaphane may boost heart health in a number of ways (13).
For instance, sulforaphane may benefit heart health by reducing inflammation. Inflammation may lead to narrowing of your arteries &#; a major cause of heart disease (14, 15).
Research in rats also indicates that sulforaphane may reduce high blood pressure, which may prevent heart disease (16).
Despite these promising findings, more research is needed to determine whether sulforaphane could improve heart health in humans.
Type 2 diabetes is a chronic disease affecting millions of people worldwide.
Those with type 2 diabetes can&#;t effectively transport sugar from their blood to their cells, making it difficult to maintain healthy blood sugar levels.
A 12-week study in 97 people with type 2 diabetes examined how consuming broccoli sprout extract &#; equivalent to 150 µmol of sulforaphane &#; daily affected blood sugar levels (17).
The study found that sulforaphane effectively reduced fasting blood sugar levels by 6.5% and improved hemoglobin A1c, a marker of long-term blood sugar control. These effects were particularly strong in participants who were obese with poor diabetes control (17).
Sulforaphane&#;s beneficial effect on blood sugar levels are supported by animal studies as well (18, 19).
Studies show that sulforaphane may have other health benefits as well:
It&#;s important to note that most of these studies were performed on isolated human cells or animals.
Thus, further research is needed to confirm whether sulforaphane would have the same effects in humans (28).
SummarySulforaphane has been associated with various health benefits and may beneficially affect cancer, heart disease, diabetes, and digestion. More high-quality research is needed to understand the extent of these effects in humans.
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