EMG crops connected to this
Human research
Human interventionBioavailability
Preparations with the plant's own myrosinase delivered sulforaphane 3 to 4 times more effectively than glucoraphanin without the enzyme.
- Population
- Healthy volunteers
- Measured
- Sulforaphane conversion and excretion
Keep in mind: Very small volunteer group. Measured absorption, not a health outcome.
Fahey JW et al. · PLOS ONE, 2015 · View study
Human interventionBiomarker
30 g a day of fresh raw broccoli sprouts for 10 weeks lowered IL-6 and C-reactive protein in overweight adults.
- Population
- Healthy overweight adults
- Participants
- 40
- Amount studied
- 30 g fresh raw broccoli sprouts, daily
- Duration
- 10 weeks
- Form
- Fresh raw broccoli sprouts
- Measured
- Inflammation markers IL-6 and C-reactive protein
Keep in mind: Compared the same people during and after the sprout phase, with no separate placebo group. Healthy overweight adults only.
López-Chillón MT et al. · Clinical Nutrition, 2018 · View study
Human randomized trialBioavailability
Adding 1 g of powdered brown mustard to 200 g of cooked broccoli made sulforaphane more than four times as bioavailable as cooked broccoli alone.
- Population
- Adults
- Participants
- 12
- Amount studied
- 200 g cooked broccoli + 1 g brown mustard powder
- Form
- Cooked mature broccoli
- Measured
- Sulforaphane bioavailability
Keep in mind: Small study. Measured absorption, not a health outcome. Mature broccoli, not sprouts or microgreens.
Okunade O et al. · Molecular Nutrition & Food Research, 2018 · View study
Laboratory & mechanistic research
Lab, cell and animal findings explain how something behaves; they do not show the same result in people.
Lab analysis
Boiling broccoli stopped sulforaphane formation; adding powdered mustard seed afterward restarted it.
- Form
- Cooked mature broccoli
Keep in mind: Lab measurement on cooked mature broccoli, not sprouts or microgreens.
Ghawi SK, Methven L, Niranjan K · Food Chemistry, 2013 · View study
Lab analysis
Warming broccoli florets and sprouts to about 60 °C before crushing increased sulforaphane and reduced sulforaphane nitrile. At 70 °C and above, formation dropped in florets but not in sprouts.
- Form
- Broccoli florets and sprouts
Keep in mind: Measured in plant extracts in the lab, not in people.
Matusheski NV, Juvik JA, Jeffery EH · Phytochemistry, 2004 · View study
Keep in mind
Human studies in the EMG library mainly measure absorption (bioavailability) and inflammation biomarkers. Mechanism findings (Nrf2, NLRP3) come from animal and cell research.
Preparation notes
Raw preparations with active myrosinase, or adding mustard seed powder to cooked broccoli, increased sulforaphane availability in the studies linked here.
Sources: peer-reviewed research and NIH/USDA reference data, labeled by study type. EMG foods are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.