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Nrf2 activator

Sulforaphane · Sulforaphane (from broccoli sprouts)

The most potent natural Nrf2 activator; requires myrosinase or true sprout extract to work.

C
Evidence grade
Mixed / small human trials
Strongest study
Tier 1 · 1 linked study

Short answer

Look for supplements that include the enzyme myrosinase (or are labeled 'active sulforaphane'), otherwise the precursor doesn't convert.

Product and dose overview

Sulforaphane (Sulforaphane (from broccoli sprouts)) is a nrf2 activator with evidence grade C, meaning it is backed by mixed or small human trials. We track 2 products containing Sulforaphane. Typical doses range from 20 to 200 mg per serving. The top-ranked product scores 6.8 out of 10 on our composite scale (dose, evidence, price, testing, transparency). Prices range up to $55.00 per month.

Evidence grade: C Products in database: 2 Category: Nrf2 activator

Top Sulforaphane products

ProductBrandDosePrice/mo3rd-party testedScore
Sulforaphane SupplementDouble Wood Supplements20 mg$19.95Yes6.8
SulforaBoost®DoNotAge200 mg$55.00Yes6.1

Scores are editorial judgments, not a scientific standard. See how we score.

What it is

A compound made when you chew broccoli sprouts. It activates a master switch (Nrf2) that turns on hundreds of protective genes at once.

Why people take it

Small trials show improvements in autism symptoms, autism, air-pollution detoxification, and blood pressure. Longevity biology is elegant; hard endpoint trials still small.

Our verdict

Look for supplements that include the enzyme myrosinase (or are labeled 'active sulforaphane'), otherwise the precursor doesn't convert.

Structure & class

1-isothiocyanato-4-(methylsulfinyl)butane. Isothiocyanate from glucoraphanin + myrosinase.

Mechanism & clinical data

Fahey et al. established myrosinase requirement. Egner 2014 showed detox pathway activation. Singh 2014 improved autism symptoms.

Pharmacokinetics

~1.7 hours.

Dose & forms

Trial dose
30 mg
/ day
Range in trials
10 to 100 mg
/ day
Common forms
Truebroc® GR + myrosinase, Freeze-dried sprout, BroccoMax

What to watch out for

'Broccoli extract' without myrosinase = minimal sulforaphane. Insist on 'active sulforaphane' or 'with myrosinase'.

Where this dose comes from

The trial dose above is our editorial pick from the published human trials for this ingredient. We choose the dose that the best-available studies used on the endpoint most relevant to longevity. The range shows the lowest and highest doses tested in published trials. The landmark studies below are the papers we read to set it. You can click through and check our work.

When new trials publish, our automated sweeps flag them. If a new study materially changes the dose, we update it through editorial review and record the old dose, new dose, and the triggering study in every affected product's recommendation history. The dose is never changed automatically.

Regulatory status

EUFood supplement
USDietary supplement
UKFood supplement
CANHP

Timeline

Regulatory events, evidence grade changes, and key research milestones for Sulforaphane, most recent first. Studies link to the paper; regulatory entries name and link the responsible authority.

  • 2025-04 Regulatory single source
    EU Court sharpens the bar for botanical health claims
    A Court of Justice of the European Union ruling in April 2025 further tightened the requirements for how botanical ingredients (herbs, plant extracts) can be marketed with health claims in the EU, effectively removing much of the flexibility of the on-hold list.
  • 2024-06 Regulatory confirmed
    EU report identifies 117 supplement substances as potential health risks
    The HoA Working Group on Food Supplements (26 European countries) published its first report evaluating 117 substances used in food supplements. Of these, 65 were assessed as likely novel foods, 6 were already regulated, 34 had insufficient data, and 12 were prioritized for Article 8 restriction under Regulation (EC) No 1925/2006. The 12 priority substances include ashwagandha, curcumin, melatonin, piperine, St. John's wort, coumarin, p-synephrine, maca, holy basil, Melaleuca, black cohosh, and L-tryptophan. The report drew on 1,500 RASFF alerts reviewed between 2017 and mid-2022.
    Source →
  • 2014 Research milestone
    Egner et al. 2014
    Broccoli sprout beverage enhanced detoxification of airborne pollutants.
    Source →
  • 2006-12 Regulatory confirmed
    EU Health Claims Regulation adopted
    Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006 laid down harmonised rules for nutrition and health claims made on foods, including supplements. Only claims listed in the EU Register of authorised claims can be used. Rejected botanical claims are held in a separate on-hold list.
    Source →
  • 1997 Regulatory confirmed
    EU introduces the Novel Food Regulation
    Regulation (EC) No 258/97 required any food or food ingredient without a history of consumption in the EU before 15 May 1997 to be authorised before being placed on the market. This is the framework that captures NMN, spermidine as a supplement ingredient, urolithin A, and many other longevity actives.
    Source →
2026 evidence refresh

Sulforaphane from broccoli sprout extract modestly lowered fasting glucose in a 74-person prediabetes trial, but it failed to help asthma symptoms and its autism data remain inconsistent between caregiver and clinician ratings.

Verified 2026-07-28. We update this section as new peer-reviewed trials land.

Human RCT base
10
peer-reviewed randomised trials
Largest single trial
n = 74
Broccoli sprout extract delivering 150 micromoles of sulforaphane daily produced a 0.2 mmol/L mean reduction in fasting blood glucose versus placebo in prediabetes, missing the trial's prespecified target of a 0.3 mmol/L reduction. source

Best-supported claim

Sulforaphane's clearest human signal is a modest glucose-lowering effect in a specific metabolic subgroup. Dwibedi et al.'s 2025 randomized, placebo-controlled trial in 74 adults with prediabetes found broccoli sprout extract reduced fasting glucose by 0.2 mmol/L overall, with a larger 0.4 mmol/L effect in participants whose gut microbiota matched a 'mild age-related diabetes' profile (https://www.nature.com/articles/s41564-025-01932-w). In children with autism, Momtazmanesh et al.'s 2022 trial in 108 children found clinician-rated but not caregiver-rated improvement after 12 weeks of sulforaphane, with about a third showing at least 30% score reduction (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36427174/).

Not supported by the evidence base

Sulforaphane is marketed as a broad-spectrum detox and anti-inflammatory compound that activates the body's Nrf2 antioxidant defenses, but a rigorously designed 40-person asthma trial found no support for real-world benefit. Three days of 100 g whole broccoli sprouts daily produced a marked rise in blood sulforaphane but did not reduce exhaled nitric oxide, did not improve lung function or asthma symptoms, and did not change antioxidant gene expression in nasal or blood cells (https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5010455/). The autism evidence is also weaker than marketing suggests: caregiver-rated behavior scales showed no significant change even though clinician-rated scales did, meaning the effect is not yet consistently observed across measurement types (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36427174/).

Typical dose

100-150 micromoles/day sulforaphane equivalent from broccoli sprout extract (roughly 10-40 mg sulforaphane)

Safety

Sulforaphane from broccoli sprout extract caused more gastrointestinal side effects than placebo in the 2025 prediabetes trial, including loose stools, nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, and reflux, leading 9 of 35 treated participants to discontinue (https://www.nature.com/articles/s41564-025-01932-w). No severe adverse events have been reported across trials. People on thyroid medication should be cautious, since cruciferous vegetable compounds can interfere with iodine uptake at very high intakes. Whole broccoli sprouts, rather than extracts, may carry a small risk of thyroid marker fluctuation as seen in isolated case reports within asthma trial data (https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5010455/).

Interactions worth flagging

  • May theoretically reduce iodine uptake at high doses, relevant for people with thyroid conditions
  • No major documented prescription drug interactions in current RCTs

Three recent studies to know

  • Effect of broccoli sprout extract and baseline gut microbiota on fasting blood glucose in prediabetes: a randomized, placebo-controlled trial
    Nature Microbiology 2025 · n = 74

    Broccoli sprout extract modestly lowered fasting glucose overall and produced a larger effect in a gut-microbiota-defined subgroup resembling mild age-related diabetes.

    Read study →
  • Sulforaphane as a potential therapeutic agent
    PMC-indexed review 2025 · n = n/a

    Comprehensive review concludes sulforaphane shows preclinical promise across multiple disease areas but human RCT evidence remains limited and inconsistent.

    Read study →
  • A review of the neuroprotective mechanisms of sulforaphane
    PMC-indexed review 2024 · n = n/a

    Review of preclinical and limited human data on sulforaphane's proposed neuroprotective pathways, noting human clinical trial data remain sparse relative to mechanistic claims.

    Read study →

Landmark studies

Found in these products (2)

All products in our catalog that contain Sulforaphane, ranked by our overall score. Ranking is editorial, never paid.

Double Wood Supplements
Sulforaphane Supplement
Antioxidant
Active per serving
Sulforaphane 20 mgCapsule · 60 servings
Price per serving
$0.33$19.95 · 60 servings
Testing
3rd-party listed · public lab certificate

Status as recorded in the catalog from brand materials; not independently verified by NO1GEVITY.

Score & research context 6.8/10

Editorial score, not proof that this product works. Research-dose calculations are not dosing advice.

100%
of trial dose
$0.50
per research-dose day, not label serving
0Trial dose2×
Catalog price · Confirm current price with doublewoodsupplements.com
DoNotAge
SulforaBoost®
Antioxidant
Active per serving
Sulforaphane 200 mgCapsule · 366 servings
Price per serving
$0.15$55.00 · 366 servings
Testing
3rd-party listed · no public lab certificate

Status as recorded in the catalog from brand materials; not independently verified by NO1GEVITY.

Score & research context 6.1/10

Editorial score, not proof that this product works. Research-dose calculations are not dosing advice.

2000%
of trial dose
$0.02
per research-dose day, not label serving
2000% · over 2× trial dose0Trial dose2×
Catalog price · Confirm current price with donotage.org
Editorial guides

Buying guides and comparisons

Neighbouring molecules

Related ingredients

See all in Nrf2 activator →

Molecules in the same class, plus the actives most often formulated alongside Sulforaphane in our catalogue.

Nothing else in the database sits close enough to this molecule to list.

Product shelves
See all in Antioxidant (2)

See Sulforaphane in context: the mechanism it acts through, the biomarker it moves, the products that dose it, and the trials that tested it.

View Sulforaphane on the Longevity Map →

Frequently asked questions

What is Sulforaphane?

A compound made when you chew broccoli sprouts. It activates a master switch (Nrf2) that turns on hundreds of protective genes at once.

What dose of Sulforaphane should I take?

The trial dose in published human studies is 30 mg per day, with a range of 10 to 100 mg per day. Always consult a qualified clinician before starting any supplement.

Is Sulforaphane safe?

'Broccoli extract' without myrosinase = minimal sulforaphane. Insist on 'active sulforaphane' or 'with myrosinase'.

What is the best Sulforaphane supplement?

We track 2 products containing Sulforaphane. The top-ranked product scores 6.8 out of 10 on our composite scale, which evaluates dose, evidence, price, third-party testing, and transparency. See the comparison table above. Scores are editorial judgments, not a scientific standard.

What is the evidence grade for Sulforaphane?

Sulforaphane has evidence grade C, meaning it is backed by mixed or small human trials. Grade A means replicated human RCTs with hard endpoints. Grade B means human RCTs with biomarker outcomes. Grade C means mixed or small human trials. See our evidence grading methodology.

Independently checked

Data verification

Evidence grade
C
Mixed / small human trials
Research dose
30 mg
Products tracked
2
Updated continuously
Safety signal
'Broccoli extract' without myrosinase = minimal sulforaph...

Evidence grades are reviewed when new human RCTs are published. Product counts update automatically as new products are added. Dose ranges reflect published trial data, not brand recommendations. Read how we verify.