Sulforaphane and Autism Spectrum Disorder

In the December 2014 issue of the Natural Medicine Journal, author Matthew Baral discusses a study looking at sulforaphane and autism spectrum disorder (ASD).  Sulforaphane is an extract from broccoli with anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.  There were 43 males participating in the study, some were dosed with sulforaphane and same were given placebo.  The dose of sulforaphane was dependent on weight and ranged from 50 to 150 micromoles per day.  The dosing lasted for 18 weeks and participants were also followed for another 4 weeks, post dosing.  The people in the sulforaphane group were found to have significant improvement in mood, energy, and hyperactive behavior, as well as in communication, motivation, social interaction, and awareness levels compared to the people in the placebo group.  The improvements did decline once the sulforaphane was discontinued and the participants did move back to their baseline/pre treatment behaviour patterns.  Based on the improvements seen when the participants were taking the sulforaphane, this study provides an interesting insight into a potential support for people with ASD.