
November 30, 2020
Q&A with Dr. Jed Fahey on Sulforaphane, Moringa, and Chemoprotection | Found My Fitness with Dr. Rhonda Patrick
Key Takeaways
- Bacterial myrosinases found in the human gut convert unhydrolyzed glucoraphanin to sulforaphane
- Clinical studies have linked the benefits of sulforaphane to a variety of chronic diseases such as autism, aflatoxin toxicity, cancer, air pollution toxicity, cardiovascular disease, diabetes – and much more
- Supplementing with sulforaphane helps restore glutathione (body’s potent, endogenous detoxifier) levels in the brain
- All cruciferous vegetables are isothiocyanates but not all contain sulforaphane
- Broccoli sprouts are the most efficient way to consume sulforaphane
- Moringa leaf powder is a great alternative to broccoli sprouts – use in smoothies, iced tea, hot tea
Introduction
Dr. Jed Fahey (@jedosan) is former director of the Cullman Chemoprotection Center at Johns Hopkins University (retired June 2020). His research focuses on discovering and testing plant nutrition-based approaches to prevent chronic disease.
In this episode of Found My Fitness, Dr. Rhonda Patrick hosts a Q&A with Dr. Jed Fahey take a deep dive into the mechanism, benefits, and uses of sulforaphane as well as proper sourcing and dosing.
Host: Dr. Rhonda Patrick (@foundmyfitness)
What is Sulforaphane?
- Sulforaphane is an anticarcinogenic isothiocyanate associated with cruciferous vegetables
- Sulforaphane is a chemical end-product of myrosinases and glucoraphanin
- Bacterial myrosinases found in the human gut convert unhydrolyzed glucoraphanin to sulforaphane
- There are two ways of hydrolyzing glucoraphanin: (1) chew cruciferous vegetable/sprout/seed, (2) microbiome
- Clinical studies have linked the benefits of sulforaphane to a variety of chronic diseases such as autism, aflatoxin toxicity, cancer, air pollution toxicity, cardiovascular disease, diabetes – and much more
Recommended Brands of Sulforaphane Supplements & Broccoli Sprouts
- Crucera-SGS
- Brassica Protection Products
- Prostaphane
- Avmacol
- Murakami Noen (Japanese food company)
- Kagome Company (Japanese food company)
Glutathione & Sulforaphane
- Glutathione declines naturally with age, starting in the 20s
- Glutathione is the body’s most prevalent endogenous detoxification system
- Sulforaphane cranks up enzymes responsible for synthesizing glutathione, making more glutathione available
- Supplementing with sulforaphane helps restore glutathione levels in the brain
Sources and Dosing of Sulforaphane
- There’s no way to know whether you are a good converter of sulforaphane
- There’s no way to test how much sulforaphane or glucoraphanin is in broccoli or broccoli sprouts
- Clinical studies point to 50-100 μmol sulforaphane per day
- Sources of sulforaphane: broccoli, broccoli sprouts, brussels sprouts, cauliflower
- Interestingly, broccoli rabe does not have a significant amount of glucoraphanin or sulforaphane
- All cruciferous vegetables are isothiocyanates but not all contain sulforaphane
- 100g of broccoli would yield about 0.5mg -18mg of sulforaphane
- 100g of broccoli sprouts would yield about 5-16mg of sulforaphane
- Studies show about 60g of broccoli sprouts give you as much glucoraphanin as ¼ – ½ pound of broccoli
- You get the highest levels of glucoraphanin from broccoli seeds – but they don’t taste very good so it’s more palatable to eat the sprouts
- Gut microbiome variations in individuals lead to varying yields of sulforaphane per serving
- Not all broccoli is treated equally from sourcing to the sale so some will have higher yields of sulforaphane than others
- Cooking destroys myrosinase – if you are cooking broccoli or broccoli sprouts, you are solely counting on myrosinase in the gut
- If you need to cook broccoli, microwaving until it’s just tender is the best method to reduce bioavailability loss
- Ground mustard & exogenous sources of myrosinase increase the bioavailability of sulforaphane in cooked broccoli
- Good sources of myrosinase: ground mustard, mustard seed, horseradish, wasabi
- Quality broccoli seed vendors: Johnny’s Selected Seeds
Prophylactic Use of Sulforaphane for Toxin Exposure & Neuronal Injury
- Taking a supplement or regularly consuming broccoli sprouts is a good idea if you are regularly exposed to toxins such as air pollution, wildfires
- You can prime the system to get geared up for exposure to toxins
- Based on China on air pollution and the effects of sulforaphane – you don’t fatigue biochemical response system
- Research has shown a pronounced effect of sulforaphane in neuronal injuries, traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury
- It’s best to have the system prepared prophylactically but possible to take at the time of exposure or injury
- Regular consumption cranks up lasting protective enzymes (proteins)
- If taking supplements, take daily
- If consuming through food, consumption every 2-3 days should be sufficient
Sulforaphane for Alzheimer’s and Chronic Disease
- Ongoing clinical studies in rats suggest there may be therapeutic effects of sulforaphane in cancer prevention
- It appears sulforaphane accumulates more in the breast, bladder, lungs, prostate
- Sulforaphane may have therapeutic uses in neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s disease, Huntington’s disease, Alzheimer’s
- Early research has shown the utility of sulforaphane in Histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibition, enhancement of brain-derived neurotrophic factor, reduction in amyloid-beta, and more
- Recent review articles show sulforaphane protects against advanced glycation end products which are associated with Alzheimer’s disease
Moringa: Alternative to Broccoli Sprouts
- Moringa leaf powder is a great alternative to broccoli sprouts
- In many assays, the isothiocyanate is better than sulforaphane
- Moringa has not been as heavily researched in clinical research but has been used safely in areas of tropical climate
- Blood glucose control is the biggest medical indication for moringa powder
Carnivore Myth of Sulforaphanes and Isothiocyanates as Goitrogenic Foods
- The reality is that everything is toxic at extreme levels
- When eaten in moderation, broccoli sprouts & sulforaphane supplements have no negative consequences on thyroid function
- If mishandled, some mature market stage broccoli can have harmful glucosinolates – but it’s highly uncommon and has not shown true in many studies
- When myrosinase acts on toxic market mature broccoli glucosinolates they can form unstable, toxic intermediates
- There’s an abundance of research supporting omnivorous lifestyle versus carnivorous in humans