Broccoli Compound Found to Help Lung Health

by | Apr 14, 2009 | 2009, Asthma, Lung Health, Respiratory Health, Sulforaphane, Whole Foods - General

Written by Greg Arnold, DC, CSCS. Oral sulforaphane (antioxidant in broccoli) safely and effectively protects the lung against oxidative damage.

Asthma affects more than 20 million Americans, including 6.1 million children, (1) and is recognized as “a major public health problem of increasing concern in the United States.” It is the third-ranking cause of hospitalization among those younger than 15 years of age, and costs $3.2 billion and accounts for 14 million lost school days each year (2). Now a new study (3) has found that cruciferous vegetables may help with lung health.

Previous research in animals has found that an antioxidant in broccoli called sulforaphane (SFN) increases activity of proteins called Phase II enzymes (4) that are important in protecting the lung against oxidative damage (5). The new study sought to find out if sulforaphane can do the same in humans. In the study, 65 non-smokers aged 30 to 40 were given doses of either a placebo (200 grams of alfalfa sprout homogenate) or broccoli sprout homogenate (BSH) in doses of 25, 100, 125, 150, 175, and 200 grams per day for three days. They then provided lung cells (through a nasal lavage) to measure Phase II enzyme activity.

The researchers found that, at 175 and 200 grams of broccoli sprout homogenate, there was a significant increase in Phase II enzyme activity. Specifically, 175 and 200 grams of broccoli sprout homogenate (providing 15.7 and 17.8 mg of sulforaphane) increased the following Phase II enzymes’ activity:

  • GSTM1: Activity increased by 3 times and 8 times compared to placebo.
  • GSTPH1: Activity increased by 8 times and 9 times compared to placebo.
  • HO-1: Activity increased by 106 times and 107 times compared to placebo.
  • NQO1: Activity increased by 95 times and 117 times compared to placebo.

For the researchers, “Oral sulforaphane safely and effectively [increases] Phase II enzyme expression in the upper airway of human subjects.

Source: Riedl, Marc A., Andrew Saxon, and David Diaz-Sanchez. “Oral sulforaphane increases Phase II antioxidant enzymes in the human upper airway.” Clinical immunology 130.3 (2009): 244-251.

© 2008 Elsevier Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Posted April 14, 2009.

References:

  1. Asthma” posted on the American Lung Association Website.
  2. CDC’s National Center for Environmental Health Website. “Asthma’s Impact on Children and Adolescents.”
  3. Riedi MA.  Oral sulforaphane increases Phase II antioxidant enzymes in the human upper airway. Clinical Immunology 2009; 130(3):244-25.
  4. Wan and D. Diaz-Sanchez, Phase II enzymes induction blocks the enhanced IgE production in B cells by diesel exhaust particles, J. Immunol. 177 (2006), pp. 3477–3483.
  5. G. Scandalios, Oxidative stress: molecular perception and transduction of signals triggering antioxidant gene defenses, Braz. J. Med. Biol. Res. 38 (2005), pp. 995–1014.