Sulforaphane - power substances from cruciferous vegetables

Sulforaphane – Power compounds of cruciferous vegetables

Even as children we learn: broccoli, radish and cauliflower are healthy! But what makes the cruciferous vegetables the powerhouse veg they are always touted to be? The magic word is sulforaphane. As a precursor to glucoraphanin, sulforaphanes are the active form. Glucoraphanin in turn belongs to the mustard oil glycosides (glucosinolates), which occur in vegetables such as nasturtium, horseradish and also the well-known cultivated cabbages like brussels sprouts, cauliflower, broccoli and of course mustard. They are responsible for the slightly pungent mustard taste of these vegetables.

What makes sulforaphane so special?

Above all in recent years, sulforaphane has increasingly become the focus of scientific interest. The reason is the influence of mustard oils on oxidative processes. (1) Oxidative processes refer to events in which free radicals are released. Because these are extremely reactive, if they occur in greater numbers they can occupy the reaction partners of other molecules and thus push our cells into an unfavourable balance.

This is where sulforaphanes act indirectly positively by activating enzymes in the liver that in turn can neutralise free radicals. In this context, a recent in vivo study concludes that sulforaphane has great potential to activate antioxidant enzymes in the upper airways. (2)

More and more studies are currently also investigating the influence of sulforaphane on the controlled proliferation of cells, with very interesting results. (3, 4, 6)

Another advantage of sulforaphane is that no resistance develops even with regular intake. In their article “Uncomplicated urinary tract infections” Vahlensieck and Scheffer, for example, describe sulforaphane as an interesting alternative for the care of the urinary tract.

Intake of sulforaphane

Sulforaphane can be readily taken in by consuming various types of cabbage or radishes. The problem: sulforaphane is largely destroyed at high temperatures. It is therefore advisable to steam the vegetables at low temperatures. If you decide to cook broccoli, it is a good idea to use the cooking water for, for example, a soup. When heated, the constituents are washed into the cooking water and remain there.

Another good option is broccoli seeds or broccoli sprouts, as these contain a higher amount of sulforaphane than the broccoli head.

It should also be noted how well your individual conditions allow you to absorb sulforaphane. In inflammatory bowel disease, or during antibiotic or chemotherapy treatment, bioavailability may be reduced (6). In such cases it is advisable to consume the vegetables raw and to chew them thoroughly.

Sources:

1. Arana-Hidalgo Dana, Silva-Palacios Alejandro, Role of sulforaphane in endoplasmic reticulum homeostasis through regulation of the antioxidant response, Life Sciences, Volume 299, 2022, 120554, ISSN 0024-3205, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lfs.2022.120554.(https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0024320522002545)
2. Riedl MA, Saxon A, Diaz-Sanchez D. Oral sulforaphane increases Phase-II-Antioxidant-Enzyme antioxidant enzymes in the human upper airway.   Clin Immunol. 2009 Mar; 130(3): 244–51. doi: 10.1016/j.clim.2008.10.007 Epub 2008 Nov 22. PMID: 19028145; PMCID: PMC2668525.
3. Li Y, Zhang T, Korkaya H, Liu S, Lee HF, Newman B, Yu Y, Clouthier SG, Schwartz SJ, Wicha MS, Sun D. Sulforaphane, a dietary component of broccoli/broccoli sprouts, inhibits breast cancer stem cells.  Clin Cancer Res. 2010 May 1;16(9):2580–90. doi: 10.1158/1078-0432 CCR-09-2937. Epub 2010 Apr 13. PMID: 20388854; PMCID: PMC2862133.
4. Suppipat K, Park CS, Shen Y, Zhu X, Lacorazza HD. Sulforaphane induces cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in acute lymphoblastic leukemia cells. PLoS One. 2012; 7(12): e51251. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0051251 Epub 2012 Dec 12. PMID: 23251470; PMCID: PMC3521002.
5. Vahlensieck, W., Scheffer, K. Uncomplicated urinary tract infections. Urologe 60, 52–58 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00120-020-01289-4
6. Prof. Dr. rer. nat. Ingrid Herr Cruciferous plants in cancer therapy. Aktuelle Gesundheitsnachrichten, Issue 8, 2013