4 Ways that Sulforaphane Supports Mental Health
Promising research points to sulforaphane as a support for mental health disorders including anxiety, depression, schizophrenia, and even cognitive decline.
Jolene Hart
Author & Editor
INTRO FAQ
An estimated 1 out of every 4 people in the world will be impacted by mental health disorders during their lives, according to the World Health Organization. Still, this common experience remains stigmatized and inadequately understood. What we know for sure about mental health disorders is that they’re influenced by a long list of factors, including childhood experiences, social connections, trauma, stress levels, nutrition, and even the gut microbiome. In the area of nutrition, promising research points to the phytochemical sulforaphane, concentrated in broccoli sprouts, as a support for some mental health disorders, including anxiety, depression, Autism spectrum disorder, and schizophrenia.
Here are 4 ways that sulforaphane works to support mental health:
WATCH + LEARN
1. Sulforaphane lowers oxidative stress
Sulforaphane is proven to reduce oxidative stress (1), the overabundance of free radicals that’s an established factor in the development of mental health disorders, especially depression and anxiety. According to a 2022 review of the effectiveness of sulforaphane for mental health disorders (2), sulforaphane activates a protective pathway called NRF2 that boosts production of a spectrum of antioxidants that counter oxidative stress, and protects neurons against various types of oxidative damage. These key antioxidants, including superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione, are known to protect the brain from oxidative injury.
2. Sulforaphane reduces inflammation
Sulforaphane’s ability to support mental health stems from its potent anti-inflammatory effects. And more recently scientists have directly correlated inflammation to a series of cognitive issues including depression and anxiety. Both anti-depressive (3) and anti-anxiety (4) effects of sulforaphane have been documented in animal studies. Yet another study done in cardiac patients with mild to moderate depression (5) found sulforaphane to be safe and effective for reducing depression symptoms.
3. Sulforaphane normalizes gut health
The link between the microbiome and mental health is still a frontier of research, but there’s already clear evidence that gut health impacts mental health (6). Sulforaphane has consistently demonstrated a key role in supporting gut health by normalizing the microbiome and repairing damage to the intestinal lining (7), both of which reduce inflammation and improve the body’s production of neurotransmitters that influence mental health.
4. Sulforaphane affects neurotransmitter levels
Sulforaphane more recently has demonstrated promise for those with schizophrenia, a mental health disorder characterized by hallucinations, delusions, and disordered thinking and feeling. Studies showed sulforaphane had the ability to balance levels of the excitatory neurotransmitter glutamate in the brain. Using sulforaphane, scientists were able to increase the body’s conversion of glutamate into glutathione (8), lowering glutamate levels in the brain and reducing schizophrenia symptoms. Interestingly, another study (9) hypothesized that the intake of sulforaphane in childhood and adolescence may prevent the onset of schizophrenia symptoms in adulthood for those at high risk.
THE TAKEAWAY
Although mental health issues are complex and vary greatly from human to human, effective compounds like the sulforaphane in Broc Shot are offering complementary support for not just those with overt mental health needs but even those with either acute or less pronounced issues. As another benefit, these therapies come with little to no side effects and a host of other holistic benefits.
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SOURCES
1. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21129940/
2. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8987744/
3. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0955286316301152
4. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0166432815303399
5. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/pcn.13276
6. https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/15/14/3258
7. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30302904/
8. https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/news/newsroom/news-releases/2019/05/broccoli-sprout-compound-may-restore-brain-chemistry-imbalance-linked-to-schizophrenia
9. https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0127244