Breathe Easier with Broccoli Sprouts

In human airway cells, sulforaphane significantly boosted the activity of antioxidant enzymes that protect against allergic and inflammatory asthma triggers like exhaust, smoke, and ozone.

Jolene Hart

Author & Editor

Tony Stefani

President of the SFFCPF

 INTRO FAQ

Taking a deep, easy breath is something many of us take for granted— unless we’re unable to do so. For those with asthma, there are moments when breathing easy can be anything but. A growing body of research shows promise to leverage sulforaphane to reduce certain types of asthma symptoms. Let’s explore the findings.

SULFORAPHANE'S BENEFITS FOR ASTHMA

Free radicals wreak havoc in our body and are often caused by polluted air, pollen, diesel exhaust and tobacco smoke. Free radicals can cause oxidative tissue damage, which leads to inflammation and respiratory conditions like asthma.

According to a 2023 study linking oxidative stress, pollution, and asthma, (1) “Uncontrolled oxidative stress within airways amplifies inflammatory responses and tissue damage and alters immune responses, increasing the risk of asthma onset and asthma progression.”

But there’s evidence that sulforaphane can help. A promising study from 2014 found that sulforaphane in broccoli sprouts lessened the nasal allergic response (2) to diesel exhaust particle exposure. A 2022 chronic allergic airways study (3) done in mice found that sulforaphane prevented or reversed several hallmarks of asthma including epithelial thickening and inflammation.

A third study found that sulforaphane significantly increased activity of antioxidant enzymes (4) in human airway cells. These enzymes offer important protection against the free radical damage of exhaust, smoke and ozone, for example, that would typically cause inflammatory and allergic effects.

 WATCH + LEARN

WHERE ASTHMA AND ALLERGIES OVERLAP

It is commonly known among medical professionals that having other allergic conditions like food allergies, seasonal allergies, or eczema make it more likely that you’ll also have asthma. The connection between these conditions (8), inflammation, may also present why sulforaphane can be so effective in addressing them. Sulforaphane activates the transcription factor Nrf2 that produces antioxidants and reduces systemic inflammation.

A 2017 study (5) was the first to show that several allergic markers were decreased after Nrf2 activation by sulforaphane in those with a house dust mite allergy. A later study (6) agreed that activation of Nrf2 by sulforaphane reduced airway inflammation by ‘upregulation of antioxidants and downregulation of inflammatory cytokines in airways.’

THE TAKEAWAY

Sulforaphane continues to show great promise as a supportive adjunct therapy for those with asthma, especially those with allergic and environmental triggers. Because sulforaphane’s effects on asthma symptoms varies among asthma types, (7) there’s still room for more exploration on exactly how its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory benefits can help us all breathe easier.

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SOURCES

1. https://www.mdpi.com/2079-7737/12/1/133

2. https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlehtml/2014/fo/c3fo60277j

3. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00018-022-04609-3

4. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1521661608008620

5. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/alr.21916

6. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S001429991930336X

7. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26369337/

8. https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/asthma-triad