Broccoli Chemical Seems to Prevent Respiratory Inflammation

The chemical, known as sulforaphane, seems to play a key role in augmenting the production of antioxidant enzymes in the nasal and other upper respiratory airways. These enzymes neutralize the tissue-damaging free radicals that are created by environmental irritants such as air pollution, pollen, vehicle exhaust and tobacco smoke. Shielding the respiratory mucous membranes from tissue damage can prevent inflammation.
   
The small study focused on 65 people who were given different doses of either broccoli sprout or alfalfa sprout preparations for three days. Broccoli sprouts are the richest known natural source of sulforaphane, but the compound isn’t present at all in alfalfa sprouts.
   
“We found a two- to threefold increase in antioxidant enzymes in the nasal airway cells of study participants who had eaten a preparation of broccoli sprouts,” said principal investigator Marc Riedl, an assistant professor of clinical immunology and allergy at UCLA’s David Geffen School of Medicine. “This strategy may offer protection against inflammatory processes and could lead to potential treatments for a variety of respiratory conditions.”
   
He went on to say that sulforaphane itself and the antioxidant enzymes it stimulates may help block the harmful effects of air pollution.
   
“This is one of the first studies showing that broccoli sprouts – a readily available food source – offered potent biologic effects in stimulating an antioxidant response in humans,” Riedl said.
   
Additional research is needed, he continued, to examine the benefits of sulforaphane for individual respiratory disorders, and it will take a lot more investigation to recommend particular dosages.