Broccoli sprout beverage may enhance detoxification

A CLINICAL trial involving 291 volunteers residing in Jiangsu, China found that daily consumption of a half cup of broccoli sprout beverage produced rapid, significant and sustained higher levels of excretion of benzene, a carcinogen, and acrolein, a lung irritant. Researchers from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, along with colleagues at U.S. and Chinese institutions, used the broccoli sprout beverage to provide sulforaphane, a plant compound, which animal studies have shown to have cancer preventive properties.

The 12-week trial involved volunteers living in a rural farming community in Jiangsu. Participants in the control group drank a beverage made of sterilised water, pineapple and lime. The beverage for the treatment group additionally contained a dissolved freeze-dried powder made from broccoli sprouts that contained glucoraphanin and sulforaphane. Urine and blood samples were taken over the course of the trial to measure the fate of the inhaled air pollutants.

Amongst participants receiving the broccoli sprout beverage, the rate of excretion of the carcinogen benzene increased 61% beginning the first day and continuing throughout the 12-week period. In addition, the rate of excretion of the irritant acrolein, rapidly and durably increased 23% during the 12-week trial.

Secondary analyses by the investigators indicated that the sulforaphane may be exerting its protective actions by activating a signaling molecule, NRF2, that elevates the capacity of cells to adapt to and survive a broad range of environmental toxins. This strategy may also be effective for some contaminants in water and food.

“This study points to a frugal, simple and safe means that can be taken by individuals to possibly reduce some of the long-term health risks associated with air pollution,” said Thomas Kensler, PhD, professor at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School and one of the study’s co-authors. “This while government leaders and policy makers define and implement more effective regulatory policies to improve air quality.”

Diets rich in cruciferous vegetables have been found to reduce risk of chronic degenerative diseases, including cancer. Broccoli sprouts are a source of glucoraphanin, a compound that generates sulforaphane when the plant is chewed or the beverage swallowed. It acts to increase enzymes that enhance the body’s capacity to expunge these types of pollutants. The study was published in the online edition of the journal Cancer Prevention Research in June.