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Sulforaphane as a potential therapeutic agent: a comprehensive analysis of clinical trials and mechanistic insights

Atsushi Saito, Shoichi Ishikawa, Kun Yang, Akira Sawa, Koko Ishizuka
Journal of Nutritional Science 2025 14:e65

Bibliography

PubMed
PMID 40988712
PubMed Central
PMC12451241
DOI
10.1017/jns.2025.10033
Funding
Supported in part by NIMH grants P50MH136297, P50MH094268 and R01MH107730 (Akira Sawa), the Murakami-Johns Hopkins fellowship (Shoichi Ishikawa), and the Tokushukai fellowship (Shoichi Ishikawa).
Competing interests
The authors declared that no competing interests exist.

Study snapshot

DesignComprehensive review of registered clinical trials and published human studies
ModelHuman clinical-trial evidence landscape
Sample84 eligible interventional trials identified; 39 peer-reviewed publications
Intervention
Duration
EndpointsClinical trial landscape; Publication status; Mechanistic pathways; Disease-domain outcomes; Publication bias

What the study showed, in plain terms

This 2025 review mapped registered human sulforaphane and broccoli-derived intervention trials across healthy participants, cancer, brain disorders, respiratory disease, metabolic disease and other conditions. It identified a substantial human research base, but also a major publication gap.

Key findings

The authors identified 84 eligible interventional trials but only 39 peer-reviewed publications. Published studies suggest potential effects across several domains, yet results are heterogeneous and many completed trials remain unpublished, creating a meaningful risk of publication bias.

What this study can and cannot tell us

This is an evidence-landscape review rather than a formal pooled meta-analysis. Trial formulations, doses, populations and endpoints vary substantially, and unpublished completed trials limit confidence in conclusions drawn only from the published literature.

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Dr. Khaled Mahmoud, MBBChCritical Care Medicine, Longevity Science & Editorial Direction Dr. Amr Yasser, PhDCardiometabolic, Musculoskeletal, Gut & Bioavailability Dr. Abdulla Mostafa, PhDCellular Senescence, Neurological, Mitochondrial & Brain-Ageing Biology