Effects of long-term consumption of broccoli sprouts on inflammatory markers in overweight subjects.
Level 3 - non-randomized controlled study
Non-randomized prospective before-after trial with a sequential follow-up period and no parallel control group.
PubMed 29573889 · doi:10.1016/j.clnu.2018.03.006
What was done
Forty healthy overweight adults participated in an intervention trial evaluating the anti-inflammatory effects of broccoli sprouts (NCT03390855). Participants consumed 30 g/day of broccoli sprouts for a 10-week treatment phase (70 days), followed by a 10-week follow-up phase on their normal diet without sprouts. Investigators measured anthropometric parameters (body fat mass, body weight, BMI) and circulating inflammatory markers (TNF-α, IL-6, IL-1β, and C-reactive protein).
What was found
IL-6 levels decreased significantly from a baseline mean of 4.76 pg/mL to 2.11 pg/mL after 70 days of broccoli sprout intake (p < 0.001), and remained lower during the follow-up phase (mean values from 1.20 pg/mL to 2.66 pg/mL, p < 0.001). C-reactive protein was also reported to decrease significantly, but the abstract gave no numerical values. Numerical results for TNF-α, IL-1β, body weight, BMI, and body fat mass were not reported in the abstract.
Why it matters
The trial suggests that consuming a feasible dietary quantity of broccoli sprouts (30 g/day) may help reduce circulating inflammatory markers in overweight individuals.
Limits
The study lacked a parallel control or placebo group, leaving it open to temporal and dietary confounding over the 20-week duration. The sample size was small (n = 40). The abstract omitted numerical data and effect sizes for CRP, TNF-α, IL-1β, and all measured anthropometric parameters.
Cited by
- supports Broccoli sprout extract powder supplementation reduces human C-reactive protein (CRP) and IL-6 levels by up to 20%.