OncoPlus Max by Adaptogen Research

POSSIBLY EFFECTIVE

• Colorectal cancer. Consumption of cruciferous vegetables, including broccoli, seems to reduce the risk of developing colorectal cancer. Details: Epidemiological research suggests that the highest intakes of cruciferous vegetables, including broccoli, are associated with an 18% to 20% reduced risk of developing colorectal neoplasms when compared with the lowest intakes (14148,96187,96189).

INSUFFICIENT RELIABLE EVIDENCE to RATE

• Bladder cancer. It is unclear if consumption of broccoli reduces the risk of developing bladder cancer. Details: Epidemiological research suggests that eating about 1.75 cups daily of cruciferous vegetables, such as broccoli or cabbage, is associated with a 30% reduced risk of developing bladder cancer (14864).
• Breast cancer. It is unclear if consumption of broccoli reduces the risk of developing breast cancer. Details: Epidemiological research suggests that consumption of broccoli is associated with a modestly reduced risk of developing breast cancer in premenopausal adults. However, broccoli consumption does not seem to be associated with breast cancer risk in postmenopausal adults (14146).
• Fibromyalgia. Broccoli has only been evaluated in combination with ascorbigen; its effect when used alone is unclear. Details: A small clinical study in females with fibromyalgia shows that taking one capsule containing ascorbigen 100 mg and broccoli powder 400 mg once daily for one month improves pain by 18% and reduces physical impairment by 20% when compared to baseline (19605). It is unclear if this effect is due to broccoli, ascorbigen, or the combination. The validity of these findings is limited by the lack of a comparator group.
• Gastric cancer. It is unclear if consumption of broccoli reduces the risk of developing gastric cancer. Details: A small epidemiological study suggests that higher consumption of broccoli is associated with a reduced risk of developing gastric cancer when compared with lower consumption (14148).
• Helicobacter pylori. It is unclear if consumption of broccoli is beneficial for treating Helicobacter pylori infection. Details: A moderate-sized clinical study in adults with Helicobacter pylori infection shows that taking broccoli seed extract 200 mg, containing 16% glucosinolates, daily before bedtime for 2 months does not improve Helicobacter pylori eradication rate when compared with placebo (112445,112446).
• Hypercholesterolemia. Broccoli has only been evaluated in combination with cabbage; its effect when used alone is unclear. Details: A small clinical study in patients with mild to moderate hypercholesterolemia shows that consuming 160 grams of a beverage containing broccoli, cabbage, and fruit twice daily for 12 weeks reduces levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol by 8.5% when compared to baseline. It is unclear if the improvement from baseline differed when compared with those consuming a similar beverage without broccoli and cabbage (19607). It is unclear if this effect is due to broccoli, other ingredients, or the combination.
• Hypertension. It is unclear if consumption of broccoli can prevent hypertension in healthy adults. Details: A meta-analysis of 3 prospective cohort studies in healthy adults suggests that eating 100 grams of broccoli daily is associated with a 12% reduced risk of hypertension. However, 2 other studies in the meta-analysis suggest that broccoli, consumed as part of a larger group of cruciferous vegetables, is associated with an 11% increased risk of hypertension per 100 grams eaten daily (112087).
• Prostate cancer. It is unclear if consumption of broccoli reduces the risk of developing prostate cancer; the available research is conflicting. In patients with prostate cancer, broccoli has only been evaluated in combination with other ingredients; its effect when used alone is unclear. Details: Some epidemiological research suggests that consumption of Brassica vegetables, such as broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, and cabbage, is associated with a reduced risk of developing prostate cancer (14145). However, other epidemiological research has found no association (14147,15172). Clinical research in adults with prostate cancer shows that taking a whole food formulation containing broccoli powder 100 mg, turmeric powder 100 mg, pomegranate whole fruit powder 100 mg, and green tea extract 20 mg three times daily for 6 months prevents an increase in prostate specific antigen (PSA) levels. Mean PSA levels increased by 15% in the whole food formulation group, compared with 79% in the placebo group. Also, 46% of those taking the whole food formulation showed final PSA levels that were the same or lower than initial PSA levels, compared with 14% of those in the placebo group (89730). However, it is not yet known whether the whole food formulation reduces the risk of prostate cancer progression or recurrence. It is unclear if these effects are due to broccoli, other ingredients, or the combination. More evidence is needed to rate broccoli for these uses.

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POSSIBLY EFFECTIVE

• Prostate cancer. Oral sulforaphane seems to delay increases in levels of prostate specific antigen (PSA) in patients with prostate cancer. Details: One clinical study in adults who have undergone radical prostatectomy shows that taking a specific sulforaphane product (Prostaphane, Nutrinov) 20 mg three times daily for 6 months attenuates a rise in PSA levels after 3 months, with an 86% increase in the time needed for PSA levels to double when compared with placebo (95251). A small clinical study in adults with recurrent prostate cancer shows that taking a sulforaphane-rich broccoli sprout extract 35.2 mg daily for up to 20 weeks increases the time needed for PSA levels to double by 57% when compared to pre-treatment changes in PSA levels (95260).

POSSIBLY INEFFECTIVE

• Helicobacter pylori. Oral sulforaphane does not seem to improve the H. pylori eradication rate when used in combination with triple therapy treatment. Details: Clinical research shows that taking one capsule of broccoli sprout extract 250 mg, providing sulforaphane 1 mg, three times daily for 4 weeks in combination with clarithromycin-based triple-therapy treatment does not increase H. pylori eradication rate when compared with triple therapy alone or in combination with Saccharomyces boulardii (108138).

INSUFFICIENT RELIABLE EVIDENCE to RATE

• Age-related cognitive decline. It is unclear if oral sulforaphane is beneficial for improving cognitive function in older adults. Details: Clinical research in older adults shows that taking the sulforaphane precursor glucoraphanin (Kagome Co., Ltd.) 30 mg daily for 12 weeks modestly improves some measures of cognitive function, specifically working memory and processing speed, when compared with placebo. Half of all patients also underwent brain-training by playing a specific game (Brain Age) 15 minutes daily and the other half played an active control game (Tetris). However, the combination of brain-training and glucoraphanin does not seem to be more beneficial than either intervention alone (108133).
• Allergic rhinitis (hay fever). It is unclear if oral sulforaphane is beneficial for allergic rhinitis. Details: Clinical research in patients with grass-induced allergic rhinitis shows that using a daily steroid nasal spray in conjunction with an oral broccoli seed and sprout extract (Avmacol, Nutramax) 1500 mg daily, providing sulforaphane 60-70 micromoles, for 3 weeks improves nasal flow and symptom severity for up to about 30 minutes when compared with using a saline spray and oral placebo. However, use of either intervention alone did not improve nasal flow or symptoms when compared with placebo (108132). This study was small and may not have been adequately powered to detect beneficial effects of sulforaphane alone.
• Asthma. It is unclear if oral sulforaphane is beneficial for asthma. Details: Preliminary clinical research in adults with asthma shows that taking broccoli sprout extract containing sulforaphane 17.6 mg daily for 14 days attenuates the bronchoconstriction effects of methacholine by approximately 21% when compared to baseline. However, after taking sulforaphane, 20% of patients experienced a worsening of bronchoconstriction and 20% experienced no change. Taking sulforaphane did not improve most measures of pulmonary function, including forced expiratory volume, forced vital capacity, lung capacity, and residual capacity (95262).
• Autism spectrum disorder. It is unclear if oral sulforaphane is beneficial in children or adults with autism spectrum disorder; any benefits seen in clinical studies may not be considered clinically significant. Details: Research is conflicting on whether sulforaphane improves symptoms of autism. One small clinical study in children 4-12 years old with moderate to severe autism symptoms shows that taking sulforaphane 10-20 mg daily in combination with risperidone for 10 weeks improves irritability scores by 14% and hyperactivity scores by 12% when compared with placebo and risperidone. However, it is unclear if these improvements are clinically meaningful. Taking sulforaphane did not improve stereotypic, social/lethargy, or speech scores when compared with placebo. Children weighing up to 45 kg took approximately 10 mg daily and children weighing at least 45 kg took approximately 20 mg daily (104537). In contrast, a small clinical study in children 3-12 years old with moderate to severe autism symptoms shows that taking sulforaphane as a specific broccoli seed and sprout extract blend (Avmacol, Nutramax) daily for 15 weeks does not improve clinical impressions or most symptoms of autism when compared with placebo. The extract blend was dosed to provide approximately 1 mcmol sulforaphane per pound or 2.2 mcmol per kg body weight (108131). This study was small and may not have been adequately powered to detect differences between groups. Another very small clinical study in children aged 3-7 years old with autism spectrum disorder shows that taking a specific product containing broccoli sprout powder standardized for sulforaphane (BroccoPhane, Bioriginal) with red radish sprout daily for 36 weeks does not improve measures of aberrant behavior, communication, play and imagination, restricted interests, or social responsiveness and interaction when compared with placebo (112450). Sulforaphane has also been evaluated in older children or young adults. A small study in males 13-27 years of age with autism shows that taking sulforaphane daily for 18 weeks improves behavior scores by 33% and social scores by 17% when compared with placebo. After treatment discontinuation, behavior and social scores returned to baseline levels. Dosing was weight-based as follows: sulforaphane 26.6 mg daily in those weighing at least 91 kg, 17.6 mg daily in those weighing 45-91 kg, and 8.8 mg daily in those weighing up to 45 kg (95267). A small study in males and females 7-21 years of age with autism shows that taking sulforaphane as a specific broccoli seed and sprout blend (Avmacol, Nutramax Laboratories Consumer Care, Inc.) daily for 12 weeks improves social scores by 6%, but does not affect behavior scores, when compared with baseline. It is unclear if this improvement is clinically meaningful. The product used in this study contains glucoraphanin and myrosinase and was dosed to provide approximately 2.5 mcmol of glucoraphanin per pound of body weight (98501). The validity of these findings is limited by the lack of a comparator group.
• Cancer. Although there is interest in using oral sulforaphane for cancer, there is insufficient reliable information about the clinical effects of sulforaphane for this condition.
• Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). It is unclear if oral sulforaphane is beneficial for COPD. Details: Preliminary clinical research shows that taking sulforaphane 4.4 mg or 26.6 mg daily for 4 weeks does not improve symptoms of COPD when compared with placebo (95268).
• Depression. It is unclear if oral sulforaphane is beneficial for depression. Details: A small clinical trial in patients with mild to moderate depression related to cardiac interventions shows that taking sulforaphane (Acer) 30 mg daily for 6 weeks reduces depression score by at least 50% in 30% of patients, compared with only 7% of those taking placebo. However, there was no significant difference in remission rate between groups (108136).
• Exercise-induced muscle damage. It is unclear if oral sulforaphane is beneficial for exercise-induced muscle damage. Details: A small clinical trial in adult males shows that taking sulforaphane 30 mg daily for 4 weeks attenuates an increase in creatine kinase levels at 24 hours following heavy resistance exercise when compared with placebo. This suggests that sulforaphane may reduce muscle damage associated with exercise (108135). However, another small preliminary clinical trial in young adult males shows that taking the sulforaphane precursor glucoraphanin (Kagome Co., Ltd.) 30 mg daily, starting 2 weeks before exercise and continuing until 4 days after, does not reduce markers of muscle damage, including aldolase, aspartate aminotransferase, lactate dehydrogenase, or creatine kinase, when compared with not taking sulforaphane (108134).
• Exercise-induced muscle soreness. It is unclear if oral sulforaphane is beneficial for exercise-induced muscle soreness. Details: A small preliminary clinical trial in young adult males shows that taking the sulforaphane precursor glucoraphanin (Kagome Co., Ltd.) 30 mg daily, starting 2 weeks before exercise and continuing until 4 days after, reduces palpation-related muscle soreness and improves range of motion two days after exercise when compared with not taking sulforaphane. However, there was no difference between groups on days 1, 3, or 4 and there was no difference in pain related to extension (108134).
• Liver disease. Although there is interest in using oral sulforaphane to improve liver health, there is insufficient reliable information about the clinical effects of sulforaphane for this use.
• Pregnancy-induced hypertension. It is unclear if oral sulforaphane is beneficial for hypertension during pregnancy. Details: A small nonrandomized clinical trial in patients with pregnancy-induced hypertension or pre-eclampsia shows that taking broccoli extract modestly decreases diastolic, but not systolic, blood pressure, when compared with baseline. Patients took a single dose of either four or eight tablets of a myrosinase-activated broccoli seed extract (BroccoMax, Jarrow Formulas) providing an unknown dose sulforaphane (108130). This study was small and may not have been adequately powered to detect differences in blood pressure.
• Schizophrenia. It is unclear if oral sulforaphane is beneficial for schizophrenia. Details: Preliminary clinical research in patients with schizophrenia shows that taking sulforaphane as a specific broccoli seed and sprout blend (Avmacol, Nutramax) daily for 16 weeks does not improve positive or negative symptoms when compared with taking placebo (108137).
• Sickle cell disease. Although there is interest in using oral sulforaphane for sickle cell disease, there is insufficient reliable information about the clinical effects of sulforaphane for this condition.
• Sunburn. Although there is interest in using topical sulforaphane for sunburn prevention, there is insufficient reliable information about the clinical effects of sulforaphane for this use. More evidence is needed to rate sulforaphane for these uses.

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LIKELY SAFE ...when used orally in food amounts (14145). There is insufficient reliable information available about the safety of broccoli when used in medicinal amounts.

PREGNANCY AND LACTATION: LIKELY SAFE
when used orally in food amounts (14145). There is insufficient reliable information available about the safety of broccoli when used in medicinal amounts during pregnancy and lactation; avoid using.

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LIKELY SAFE ...when used orally in amounts found in foods (10264).

POSSIBLY SAFE ...when used orally and appropriately in medicinal amounts. Sulforaphane-rich broccoli sprout extract has been used with apparent safety in clinical studies at a sulforaphane dose of up to 35.2 mg daily for up to 20 weeks (95260,95262,95265,95267,95268,104537,108136,108137,108138). A specific brand of sulforaphane (Prostaphane, Nutrinov) has been used with apparent safety in clinical research at a dose of up to 60 mg daily for up to 6 months (95251). A specific broccoli seed extract (BroccoMax, Jarrow Formulas) containing glucoraphanin 180 mg daily has been used with apparent safety in clinical research for up to 8 weeks (95269).

CHILDREN: LIKELY SAFE
when used orally in amounts found in foods (10264). There is insufficient reliable information available about the safety of sulforaphane in medicinal amounts.

PREGNANCY AND LACTATION: LIKELY SAFE
when used orally in amounts found in foods (10264). There is insufficient reliable information available about the safety of sulforaphane in medicinal amounts.

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CYTOCHROME P450 1A2 (CYP1A2) SUBSTRATES Interaction Rating = Moderate Be cautious with this combination. Severity = Moderate •  Occurrence = Possible •  Level of Evidence = B Theoretically, broccoli might reduce the levels and effects of drugs metabolized by CYP1A2.  Details Pharmacokinetic research in humans shows that eating 500 grams of fresh broccoli daily for 6-12 days can increase CYP1A2 activity by 10% to 200% (19608,95722). Induction of CYP1A2 activity by broccoli is attributed to its glucosinolate constituents (19608).

CYTOCHROME P450 2A6 (CYP2A6) SUBSTRATES Interaction Rating = Moderate Be cautious with this combination. Severity = Moderate •  Occurrence = Possible •  Level of Evidence = B Theoretically, broccoli might reduce the levels and effects of drugs metabolized by CYP2A6.  Details Pharmacokinetic research in humans shows that eating 500 grams of broccoli daily for 6 days increases CYP2A6 activity by 135% to 550%. Induction of CYP2A6 activity is attributed to its glucosinolate constituents (19608).

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CYTOCHROME P450 1A2 (CYP1A2) SUBSTRATES Interaction Rating = Moderate Be cautious with this combination. Severity = Moderate •  Occurrence = Possible •  Level of Evidence = D Theoretically, sulforaphane might alter the levels and clinical effects of CYP1A2 substrates.  Details Animal and in vitro research shows that sulforaphane inhibits CYP1A2 enzyme activity. However, its precursor glucoraphanin also appears to increase the expression of the CYP1A2 enzyme, which could lead to increased metabolism of CYP1A2 substrates (12701,105083,105085). These effects have not been reported in humans.

CYTOCHROME P450 2E1 (CYP2E1) SUBSTRATES Interaction Rating = Moderate Be cautious with this combination. Severity = Moderate •  Occurrence = Possible •  Level of Evidence = D Theoretically, sulforaphane might increase the levels and effects of CYP2E1 substrates.  Details In vitro evidence shows that sulforaphane inhibits CYP2E1 enzymes (105083). This interaction has not been reported in humans.

CYTOCHROME P450 3A4 (CYP3A4) SUBSTRATES Interaction Rating = Moderate Be cautious with this combination. Severity = Moderate •  Occurrence = Possible •  Level of Evidence = D Theoretically, sulforaphane might increase the levels and effects of CYP3A4 substrates.  Details Animal and in vitro research shows that sulforaphane inhibits CYP3A4 enzyme activity and downregulates its expression (105083,105434,105435). This interaction has not been reported in humans.

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General ...Broccoli is well tolerated when consumed as food. A thorough evaluation of safety outcomes when broccoli is taken as medicine has not been conducted.

Dermatologic ...Topically, allergic reactions to broccoli have caused contact dermatitis (14158).

Gastrointestinal ...Orally, loose stools, diarrhea, abdominal pain, and abdominal cramping have been reported following intake of broccoli seed and sprout extracts, particularly at high doses (114753).

Hepatic ...In one case report, a 56-year-old adult developed elevated transaminases, with alanine aminotransferase (ALT) 5. 8 times above normal, aspartate aminotransferase (AST) 2.4 times above normal, and gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT) 5.1 times above normal. This was thought to be related to the consumption of 800 mL of broccoli juice daily over a 4-week period. Values returned to normal 15 days after cessation of juice consumption (96191).

Immunologic ...Topically, allergic reactions to broccoli have caused contact dermatitis (14158).

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General ...Orally, sulforaphane seems to be well tolerated.
Most Common Adverse Effects:
Orally: Bowel discomfort, heartburn, stomach upset, and vomiting.

Gastrointestinal ...Orally, sulforaphane and sulforaphane-rich extracts can cause bowel discomfort, stomach upset, heartburn, and vomiting (95251,95252,95260,95265,95267,95268,98501,104537,108132). A specific stabilized form of sulforaphane (Cavamax W6) caused mild stomach upset in 60% of subjects in a small study (95252). However, in some clinical studies, the gastrointestinal side effects reported with sulforaphane did not occur more frequently than with placebo (95268).

Hepatic ...Orally, sulforaphane has been associated with one case of elevated liver enzyme levels. However, the patient ran a marathon the day before testing, and levels returned to normal within one week (95262).

Neurologic/CNS ...Orally, sulforaphane has been reported to cause headache in one clinical study (104537). In another clinical trial, insomnia and irritability were reported (108131). Sulforaphane has also been associated with two cases of seizure in males with autism. In one case, a patient with a recent history of seizure experienced a seizure after taking sulforaphane for 3 weeks. In another case, a patient with seizures which had been well-controlled with antiepileptic drugs for more than 1 year experienced a seizure 3 weeks after discontinuing sulforaphane. It is unclear if sulforaphane precipitated seizures in these patients (95267).

Other ...Orally, sulforaphane has been reported to cause increased weight gain. In one clinical study in males 13-27 years of age with autism, patients taking sulforaphane gained an additional 4 pounds on average over 18 weeks when compared with those taking placebo (95267).

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