Randomized Crossover Trial Evaluating Detoxification of Tobacco Carcinogens by Broccoli Seed and Sprout Extract in Current Smokers

Bauman, J.E., Hsu, C.H., Centuori, S., Guillen-Rodriguez, J., Garland, L.L., Ho, E., Padi, M., Bageerathan, V., Bengtson, L., Wojtowicz, M. and Szabo, E.

Cancers.

Dr. Padi and colleagues administered sulforaphane, a compound that can be extracted from broccoli seeds and sprouts, to a cohort of current smokers. They found that sulforaphane significantly increased detoxification of benzene, the cancer-causing chemical found in cigarette smoke. By measuring gene expression in oral tissue from the same participants, they found evidence that benzene detoxification occurs through the same molecular pathway previously reported in mice. Their study suggests that broccoli seed and sprout extract can help prevent head and neck cancer in current smokers.

Link to paper: https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers14092129