Compound or practice · Supplement
Sulforaphane
A broccoli-sprout compound that switches on the body's own antioxidant defenses — real biomarker effects, early clinical data.
- Overall grade
- Grade C
- Last revised
- 2
- graded outcomes
- 0
- references listed
A structured monograph in Prometheus's bundled library. Its grades are the monograph's own reading of the evidence, not a peer-reviewed review.
1 at grade B · 1 at grade C — 2 graded rows
What is known
Each outcome with its grade (how strong the evidence is, A to D), the size of the effect where the entry records one, and how often studies agree.
- Nrf2 / detox biomarkersEvidence grade B
Reliable
Moderatehigh
- Metabolic markersEvidence grade C
Early
Smallmixed
What is uncertain
Read off the same rows as above. Nothing here is added that the entry does not itself record.
- Thin evidence: Metabolic markers (grade C).
The evidence in words
What it is
Sulforaphane is an isothiocyanate from broccoli sprouts, a potent activator of the Nrf2 cellular-defense pathway.
How it works
It activates Nrf2, upregulating the body's endogenous antioxidant and detoxification enzymes — a more durable strategy than dosing antioxidants directly.
What the evidence shows
Reliable effects on Nrf2-target biomarkers and detox of certain pollutants; clinical data (metabolic markers, autism behavior signals, respiratory) are promising but early and small. Stability and bioavailability of products vary widely.
How to use it
Fresh broccoli sprouts or a stabilized sulforaphane/glucoraphanin-plus-myrosinase product.
Safety & interactions
Generally safe; GI upset at high doses.
Bottom line
A genuinely interesting Nrf2 activator with real biomarker effects and early clinical promise. Product quality is the catch — many extracts deliver little active compound.
How it is used
As the entry records it, from the studies it summarises. Not a recommendation for you — doses that suit a trial population may not suit you.
- Standard
- Sprouts or stabilized extract with myrosinase.
Related reading
Entries that share this one's tags or conditions.
- Sulforaphane for Metabolic markersEvidence grade C — EarlyEvidence grade C
- Sulforaphane for Nrf2 / detox biomarkersEvidence grade B — ReliableEvidence grade B
- Sulforaphane: dosage and how to take itSprouts or stabilized extract with myrosinase.Evidence grade C
- Sulforaphane: side effects, safety & interactionsGenerally safe; GI upset at high doses.Evidence grade C
Sources
This entry lists no references of its own.
Last revised . A grade is this entry's reading of the evidence, not medical advice.