Broccoli-Sprout Compound May Improve
Symptoms of Autism
October 27, 2014
Story
at-a-glance
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Sulforaphane, found in high amounts in broccoli
sprouts, can significantly improve your blood
pressure and kidney function by normalizing a
process called DNA methylation
-
Preliminary research suggests sulforaphane may also
be of particular benefit for those with
autism—improving verbal communication and decreasing
repetitive behaviors
-
Broccoli has the ability to affect gene expression
and promote detoxification of harmful environmental
pollutants
-
Sulforaphane influences bacteria as well. Broccoli
sprouts have been shown to inhibit Helicobacter
pylori, the bacteria thought to cause gastric
ulcers. H. pylori may also play a role in autism
-
Autistic children are known to have higher levels of
environmental toxins in their system, as well as
fewer health-promoting gut bacteria
By Dr. Mercola
Science has proven time after time that food is potent
medicine. Broccoli, for example, has a solid scientific
foundation showing it’s one of the most valuable
health-promoting foods around.
For example, a compound in broccoli,
glucosinolateglucoraphanin, produces a metabolite called
sulforaphane that can significantly improve your blood pressure
and kidney function1
by normalizing a process called DNA methylation.
Interestingly, preliminary research suggests sulforaphane may
also be of particular benefit for those with autism—improving
verbal communication and decreasing repetitive behaviors.
Broccoli Compound May Improve Symptoms of Autism
While limited in scope, the study still shows that food is an
important part of the treatment plan for autism, and can have a
significant impact on behavior. A total of 44 boys and men
diagnosed with autism were enrolled in the study.
Some received sulforaphane in capsule form, while the
controls received a placebo. As reported by Time Magazine:2
“The compound was chosen because it can help trigger
a heat-shock response, a series of biological events that
protect cells from stress during fevers; some people with
autism have been known to see improvement in regard to
repetitive behaviors, for example, during fevers.
Around 80 percent of the participants had a history
of experiencing the ‘fever effect.’”
Positive results were observed within as little as four
weeks. Communication improved, as did symptoms of hyperactivity
and irritability. By the end of the 18-week study, about 50
percent of those receiving sulforaphane experienced improved
ability to interact socially.
About one-third of those treated did not have any noticeable
results however, so more research needs to be done to ascertain
how and why the compound works in certain cases. Still,
considering the many health benefits of broccoli, there’s
certainly no reason to avoid it.
On the contrary, I believe part of the reason for its
beneficial effect on autistic symptoms may be related to its
ability to affect gene expression, inhibit certain detrimental
gut bacteria, and promote detoxification of harmful
environmental pollutants.
All of these factors play a role in autism, and pretty much
anything that will have a beneficial effect on them is likely to
be useful to some degree.
Sulforaphane Benefits Gene Expression and Gut Health
Sulforaphane is an organic sulfur compound found in
cruciferous vegetables, including broccoli, Brussels sprouts,
cabbage, cauliflower, horseradish, and arugula—but
broccoli sprouts is the richest source.
Sulforaphane has been shown to have antimicrobial properties.
It also kills cancer stem cells, which slows tumor growth. As
noted earlier, it also normalizes DNA methylation, which plays a
role in a number of diseases, including hypertension, kidney
function,3
gut health,4
and cancer.
In simple terms, DNA methylation5
is the process by which a methyl group (one carbon atom attached
to three hydrogen atoms) is added to part of a DNA molecule.
This is a crucial part of normal cell function as it allows
cells to “remember who they are and where they have been.” DNA
methylation also suppresses viral- and other disease-related
gene expression.
Sulforaphane influences bacteria as well. For example,
broccoli sprouts have been shown to inhibit Helicobacter pylori,
the bacteria thought to cause gastric ulcers. Interestingly, H.
pylori may also play a role in autism.
It is widely known that autistic children tend to suffer from
gastrointestinal (GI) problems, with those experiencing the
worst GI problems often having the most severe cases of autism.
In one study,6
researchers analyzed the gut microflora of 20 healthy and 20
autistic children using fecal samples, and found distinct
differences between the two groups.
Specifically, those with autism had reduced levels of
Prevotella, Coprococcus, and Veillonellaceae,
compared to healthy children. These belong to groups of
carbohydrate-degrading and/or fermenting microbes, and may be
critical for healthy interactions between microbes in the gut.
The presentation below discusses the links between H. pylori
and autism and language delays, noting that H. pylori can
instigate leaky gut and influences genes associated with the
speech disorder apraxia7
that affects many autistic children.
Other Health Benefits of Broccoli
Other research has shown that broccoli can be helpful in the
prevention of:
- Heart disease
- UV radiation damage to your skin when applied topically8
- Osteoarthritis9,
10,
11,
12
- Allergies13
- Diabetes14
The sulforaphane from broccoli plays a role in activating
more than 200 different genes, which accounts for its varied
effects. Fortunately, you don’t have to consume vast volumes of
broccoli to reap its benefits. In one study,15
just four servings of broccoli—about 10 broccoli spears—per week
was found to protect men from prostate cancer.
Broccoli Sprouts Combat Exposure to Environmental Pollutants
Another major benefit of broccoli sprouts relates to its
ability to detox pollutants, as demonstrated in recent research.16,
17,
18 This is important for virtually everyone
these days, but especially women planning a pregnancy. Autistic
children are known to have higher levels of
environmental toxins in their system, and this underlying
toxic burden plays a significant role.
For example, one recent study19,
20,
21,
22 found that every one percent increase in genital
malformations in newborn males within a particular US county was
associated with a 283 percent increased rate in autism.
According to the researchers, genital malformations are signs of
exposure to harmful toxins.
The correlation between genital malformation and autism in
turn offer strong support for the notion that autism is the
result of parental overexposure to environmental toxins. Another
study23
published last year also found that autistic children have
markedly higher levels of toxic volatile organic compounds
(VOCs). They also had fewer healthy bacteria, such as
Bifidobacterium. With regards to the detoxifying powers of
broccoli sprouts, Time Magazine noted that:24
“Broccoli sprouts specifically are a source of
glucoraphanin, which creates sulforaphane when chewed or
swallowed. That compound accelerates the body’s ability to
detoxify from various pollutants...”
The three-month long study included about 300 Chinese men and
women living one of the most polluted areas of China, a rural
community in the Jiangsu Province. The test group drank half a
cup a day of a beverage consisting of sterilized water,
pineapple and lime juice, with dissolved freeze-dried broccoli
sprout powder. The control group drank the same mixture
without the addition of the sprouts.
After urine and blood tests were collected and analyzed, the
researchers found that the test group, who received the broccoli
sprout powder, excreted far greater levels of two carcinogens.
Excretion of benzene increased 61 percent, and the rate of
excretion of acrolein increased by 23 percent. Benzene is
usually found in car exhaust fumes, but can also be ingested via
soda, where it can form from benzoate salt—used as a
preservative. Acrolein forms from the breakdown of certain
indoor air pollutants, from the burning of organic matter such
as tobacco, and the burning of fuels like gasoline.
Factors That Likely Contribute to Autism
With autism spectrum disorder now affecting as many as one in
50 children,25
it seems reasonable to assume that there are MANY factors
contributing to this problem. Evidence suggests it’s rooted in a
combination of toxic overload and other aggravating factors,
including but not limited to the following:
- Gut dysbiosis, especially in combination with
vaccines and their additives like mercury
(thimerosal), aluminum, and others, which are known
to damage your mitochondria—the powerhouses in your body’s
cells that produce energy. Your gastrointestinal system is
often referred to as your “second brain,” containing some
100 million neurons—more than in either your spinal cord or
your peripheral nervous system.
-
Vitamin D deficiency. The link between
vitamin D
deficiency in pregnant women and the proportionate jump in
autism has been highlighted by Dr. John Cannell. Vitamin D
receptors appear in a wide variety of brain tissue early in
the fetal development, and activated vitamin D receptors
increase nerve growth in your brain. I believe vitamin D
deficiency during pregnancy is a MAJOR contributing factor
to autism, especially when you consider that vitamin D also
helps in the
detoxification of mercury. Without sufficient amounts of
vitamin D, any subsequent toxic assaults—regardless of the
source—will be further magnified.
-
Electromagnetic radiation (EMR) from cell
phones, cell towers, and Wi-Fi devices, which can trap heavy
metals inside of nerve cells, accelerate heavy metal
toxicity, and hinder natural detoxification processes.
- Microbial toxins, such as mold.
Children with autism not only have overwhelmed
detoxification pathways and often heavy metal toxicity, but,
according to
Dr. Klinghardt, their bodies are also frequently beset
by toxic microbes, including neuro-borreliosis, and possibly
other
Lyme co-infections.
- Mercury toxicity. Pregnant mothers may
inadvertently contribute to their child’s toxic load via
dental amalgams,
50 percent of which are mercury, a known neurotoxin.
Healing the Gut May Be Key for the Treatment of Autism
Getting back to the issue of food, while broccoli sprouts may
certainly be useful, parents of autistic children would do well
to consider implementing the GAPS diet. Women planning a
pregnancy can also reduce their chances of having an autistic
child by paying careful attention to their gut health, along
with avoiding toxic exposures of all kinds.
GAPS stands for
Gut and Psychology Syndrome, pioneered by neurologist Dr.
Natasha Campbell-McBride, who successfully reversed her son’s
autism. In her research, she discovered that nearly all mothers
of autistic children have abnormal gut flora, which is
significant because babies inherit their gut flora from their
mothers at the time of birth. Establishing normal gut flora in
the first 20 days or so of life plays a crucial role in the
maturation of your baby's immune system.
Babies who develop abnormal gut flora have compromised immune
systems, which put them at higher risk for suffering vaccine
reactions. If your baby has suboptimal gut flora, vaccines can
become the proverbial "last straw" — the trigger that "primes"
his/her immune system to develop chronic health problems. This
helps explain why not every child is damaged by vaccines,
and why autism rates keep rising. More children are now
born with elevated toxicity levels and damaged gut flora right
from the start... Such is the legacy of our increasingly toxic
world. Tack on a few exacerbating factors, and the child’s body
simply cannot handle the onslaught.
The best way to prevent GAPS is for the mother to
avoid all processed foods, sugar, antibiotics (including CAFO
meats and antibacterial soaps) and birth control pills prior to
conception as these cause yeast and fungi to grow and also cause
leaky gut. This can then be followed by breastfeeding and
avoiding the use of antibiotics during (intrapartum) and after
delivering. It’s also a good idea to make sure your baby’s
microbiome is healthy before getting any vaccinations.
Fortunately, it's possible to rather inexpensively identify GAPS
within the first weeks of your baby's life, which can help you
make better-informed decisions about vaccinations, and about how
to proceed to set your child on the path to a healthy life.
The entire process for identifying children who would be at
risk for developing autism from a vaccine is described in her
book Gut
and Psychology Syndrome, but to sum it up, in her
practice she starts out by collecting a complete health history
of the parents, and their gut health is assessed. Then, within
the first few days of life, the stool of the child can be
analyzed to determine the state of her gut flora, followed by a
urine test to check for metabolites, which can give you a
picture of the state of your child's immune system. These tests
are available in most laboratories around the world and cost a
very reasonable amount, about $80 to $100 per test.
In my view, it is absolutely VITAL to perform this analysis
BEFORE you consider vaccinating your child. If the test results
are normal, the likelihood of autism after vaccines is
dramatically reduced. If you find that your baby has abnormal
gut microflora, or begins to develop symptoms of autism a year
or two later, the
GAPS program should be started immediately, as the younger
the child is when you start the treatment, the better the
results.
Copyright 1997- 2014 Dr. Joseph Mercola. All Rights Reserved.
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