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#028 Sulforaphane and Its Effects on Cancer, Mortality, Aging, Brain and Behavior, Heart Disease & More

Dec 12, 2016 52m 1s 32 insights
<p>This podcast is about one of the most important biological pathways you could possibly take the time to learn about: the NRF2 pathway.</p> <p>The most potent naturally-occurring inducer of this pathway, a plant compound known as sulforaphane, may be one of the most potent health-enhancing compounds at our disposal and yet... no one is keeping it out of your hands! No $1,000 per pill markup is keeping it out of your hands -- it's available to anyone willing to take the little bit of time it takes each week to produce broccoli sprouts.</p> <p>Here are a few of the more salient points surrounding sulforaphane that are discussed in this podcast...</p> <ul> <li><strong>(00:00) </strong>Introduction</li> <li><strong>(03:36)</strong> Cruciferous vegetables reduce risk of death from all causes</li> <li><strong>(07:15)</strong> Mechanisms of sulforaphane's anti-cancer effects </li> <li><strong>(12:02)</strong> Sulforaphane activates NRF2, detoxifying the body</li> <li><strong>(18:53)</strong> Curciferous vegetables and cardiovascular disease</li> <li><strong>(21:57)</strong> Does sulforaphane slow aging?</li> <li><strong>(29:39)</strong> Sulforaphane improves symptoms of autism, schizophrenia, and depression</li> <li><strong>(36:18)</strong> Neurodegernative diseases and taumatic brain injury can be treated with sulphoraphane</li> <li><strong>(41:36)</strong> Concluding thoughts</li> </ul> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">If you're interested in learning more, you can read the <a href="https://www.foundmyfitness.com/episodes/sulforaphane">full show notes here</a>.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Join over 300,000 people and get the latest distilled information straight to your inbox weekly:</span> <a href="https://www.foundmyfitness.com/newsletter"><span style="font-weight: 400;">https://www.found</span></a><a href="https://www.foundmyfitness.com/newsletter"><span style="font-weight: 400;">myfitness.com/newsletter</span></a></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Become a FoundMyFitness premium member to get access to exclusive episodes, emails, live Q+A's with Rhonda and more:</span> <a href="https://www.foundmyfitness.com/crowdsponsor"><span style="font-weight: 400;">https://www.foundmyfitness.com/crowdsponsor</span></a></p>
Actionable Insights

1. Prioritize Cruciferous Vegetables

Prioritize the consumption of cruciferous vegetables, as the top 20% of consumers saw a 22% reduction in all-cause mortality, a more substantial effect than general vegetable consumption.

2. Consume Broccoli Sprouts Regularly

Incorporate broccoli sprouts into your diet as they are the single best source of glucoraphanin, containing up to 100 times more than mature broccoli, which is a precursor to potent sulforaphane.

3. Sprout Broccoli at Home

Produce broccoli sprouts cheaply at home in bulk using around six glass jars and sprouting seeds in continuous rotation to yield about eight ounces daily, making it accessible and sustainable for months with minimal cost.

4. Prepare Cruciferous Properly

To maximize beneficial isothiocyanates, chop, crush, or chew cruciferous vegetables, and avoid prolonged high temperatures like sustained boiling, which deactivates the necessary enzyme myrosinase.

5. Lightly Steam Cruciferous Vegetables

Lightly steam cruciferous vegetables for three to four minutes to deactivate epithiospecifer protein, which inhibits sulforaphane formation, while keeping myrosinase active for optimal conversion.

6. Heat Broccoli to Optimal Temps

To maximize sulforaphane production, heat mature broccoli to 60°C for 10 minutes, or broccoli sprouts to 70°C for 10 minutes, which can increase sulforaphane production by 3.5 fold.

7. Combine Glucoraphanin with Myrosinase

If supplementing with glucoraphanin, consume it alongside cruciferous vegetables containing myrosinase (like broccoli sprouts) or mustard seed to significantly increase sulforaphane absorption.

8. Be Cautious with Supplements

Be cautious with sulforaphane supplements that contain only glucoraphanin (sulforaphane glucosinolate) without the necessary myrosinase enzyme for conversion, as this may limit their effectiveness.

9. Increase Overall Vegetable Intake

Increase your overall vegetable consumption, as those in the top 20% of vegetable consumers experienced a 16% reduction in all-cause mortality.

10. Target 60mg Sulforaphane Daily

To achieve a daily dose of 60 milligrams of sulforaphane, which significantly impacted prostate cancer markers, consume approximately 140 grams of fresh broccoli sprouts.

11. Target 40mg Sulforaphane for Heart

To mimic benefits seen in type 2 diabetics (reduced triglycerides and oxidized LDL), aim for a daily dose of 40 milligrams of sulforaphane, equivalent to about 100 grams of fresh broccoli sprouts.

12. Target 40mg Sulforaphane for Inflammation

For general inflammation reduction, aim for 40 milligrams of sulforaphane daily, which has been shown to reduce TNF-alpha by 11% and C-reactive protein by 16%.

13. Consume 135g Sprouts for Benzene

Consume approximately 135 grams of fresh broccoli sprouts daily (or a beverage with 262.5 mg glucoraphanin and 7.1 mg sulforaphane) to increase benzene excretion by 61%.

14. Consume 27mg Sulforaphane for Carcinogens

Consume a broccoli sprout beverage containing 27 milligrams of sulforaphane to achieve a 50% increase in the excretion of carcinogens like acrolein, crotonaldehyde, ethylene oxide, and benzene.

15. Consume 85g Sprouts for Breast Tissue

Consume approximately 85 grams of fresh broccoli sprouts (yielding about 37 mg sulforaphane) to promote the accumulation of sulforaphane in breast tissue, which may offer protective functions.

16. Consume 43g Sprouts for Immunity

Consume approximately 43 grams of fresh broccoli sprouts daily (equivalent to 20 mg sulforaphane) to potentially support the regaining of adaptive immune function, based on human-equivalent doses from mouse studies.

17. Autism: Consume 65g Sprouts Daily

Young men with autism spectrum disorder may benefit from consuming up to 65 grams of fresh broccoli sprouts daily (yielding 9-25 mg sulforaphane) to improve autistic behavior checklist scores, social interaction, abnormal behavior, and verbal communication.

18. Schizophrenia: 30mg Glucoraphanin Daily

Medicated patients with schizophrenia may consider supplementing with 30 milligrams of glucoraphanin daily for eight weeks to potentially improve certain scores of cognitive impairment.

19. Consume 14g Cruciferous/kg Daily

Healthy individuals can decrease circulating IL-6 levels by 20% by consuming 14 grams of cruciferous vegetables per kilogram of body weight daily.

20. Men: 3-5 Servings Cruciferous Weekly

Men should aim to eat between three to five servings of cruciferous vegetables per week to potentially decrease prostate cancer risk by 40%.

21. Men: 2+ Half-Cup Broccoli Weekly

Men should consume two or more half-cup servings of broccoli per week to potentially achieve a 44% lower incidence of bladder cancer.

22. Smokers: Eat Raw Cruciferous

Smokers should consume at least four and a half servings of raw cruciferous vegetables per month to potentially reduce lung cancer risk by 55%.

23. Women: Eat Cruciferous Weekly

Women should consume cruciferous vegetables at least once a week to potentially decrease breast cancer risk by 17% to 50%.

24. Bladder Cancer: Eat Raw Broccoli

Individuals with bladder cancer should aim for at least four servings of raw broccoli per month to potentially reduce bladder cancer mortality by 57% and all-cause mortality by 43%.

25. Eat 300g Brussels Sprouts Daily

Consume 300 grams of Brussels sprouts daily to potentially increase glutathione S-transferase by 1.4 fold and reduce oxidative DNA damage by 28%.

26. Smokers: Eat Watercress with Meals

Smokers should eat 57 grams of watercress with each meal for three days to increase the excretion of biomarkers indicating inactivation of the tobacco-specific carcinogen NNK by 35%.

27. Home Sprouting for Two People

When home sprouting with the mason jar method, use six jars in continuous rotation to yield enough broccoli sprouts (approx. 280g/jar) to provide 60 milligrams of sulforaphane daily for two people.

28. Eat Cabbage Crude or Cooked

Consume cabbage crude with vinegar or cooked with oil or fat, as historically suggested, for its potential health benefits.

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