October 13, 2014

expert reaction to broccoli and autism

Researchers publishing in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences have reported beneficial effects of the use of a broccoli extract – sulforaphane – on a small number of patients with autism spectrum disorder.

Richard Mills, Research Director, Research Autism, said:

“This is a small study and not all receiving the treatment benefited. It would also be interesting to know whether the reported improvements in social behaviour were down to protective factors of Sulforaphane (SF) or the therapeutic benefit on related stress or some other effect. In any event, it’s promising.

“Several studies have shown the ability of sulforaphane to prevent neurodegenerative processes that underlie stroke, traumatic brain injury, Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease. It is thought to have an unusual ability to activate a significant pathway (Nrf2/ARE pathway) and to cross the blood brain barrier. The Nrf2 pathway is a recent therapeutic target in neurodegenerative diseases because it regulates several genes that have been implicated in protection against neurodegenerative conditions.

“Sulforaphane is a safe intervention and certainly worth a larger controlled trial. We can see many applications and advantages, although the researchers own statement must head the list of cautions and caveats.”

Dr Rosa Hoekstra, Lecturer in Psychology, The Open University, said:

“Although the findings of this study are intriguing, it is at present much too early to draw any firm conclusions about the possible benefits of broccoli (or other foods containing sulforaphane) for people with autism.

“This study was done in only a small group of participants. Of this already small group, 20% discontinued their participation before the treatment finished, and only half of the original participants (22 of the 44) completed all assessments. Such a high drop-out rate is a concern as it is impossible to know what happened to the participants who discontinued their participation. Were they simply too busy to continue taking part, or did they experience adverse side effects?

“Moreover, all participants were males with severe autism, and an unusually high proportion of them (80%) had previously shown behavioural improvements during bouts of fever.

“It is impossible to draw firm and generalizable conclusions based on such a small and selected group of participants. Therefore, as things stand, parents of a child with autism should not feel guilty if their child refuses to eat broccoli.”

‘Sulforaphane treatment of autism spectrum disorder (ASD)’ by Singh et al. published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences on Monday 13^th October. 

Declared interests

None declared