Fahey · Nutrients 2019 · uncontrolled before-and-after pilot study · n=?

Bioavailability of Sulforaphane Following Ingestion of Glucoraphanin-Rich Broccoli Sprout and Seed Extracts with Active Myrosinase: A Pilot Study of the Effects of Proton Pump Inhibitor Administration.

Cited 76 times in the scientific literature.

Level 3 - non-randomized controlled study

Non-randomized within-subject before-and-after pilot study

PubMed 31261930 · doi:10.3390/nu11071489 · record verified 2026-08-30

What was done

This pilot clinical trial evaluated whether gastric acidity affects the conversion of glucoraphanin (GR) to sulforaphane (SF) by co-delivered active myrosinase. Participants ingested a glucoraphanin- and myrosinase-rich broccoli seed and sprout extract before and after initiating the proton pump inhibitor omeprazole. The study also examined the effect of enteric coating on conversion efficiency and assessed expression changes in 20 pharmacodynamic genes in peripheral blood mononuclear cells.

What was found

The abstract reports no numerical values, effect sizes, or confidence intervals. SF and metabolite excretion increased following omeprazole treatment. Enteric coating enhanced the conversion of GR to SF. Higher body mass correlated with lower conversion efficiency, while age, sex, ethnicity, BMI, vegetable intake, and bowel habits showed negligible effects. Expression of genes related to cytoprotection, detoxification, and antioxidant functions increased significantly with bioavailability, while inflammatory gene expression decreased non-significantly.

Why it matters

This study indicates that gastric acid diminishes myrosinase-mediated sulforaphane yield in vivo, showing that acid reduction or enteric coating can optimize sulforaphane bioavailability from broccoli extract supplements.

Limits

The abstract omits sample size, participant demographics, exact supplement doses, and quantitative effect sizes with statistical bounds. The non-randomized, uncontrolled before-and-after design introduces risks of carryover and time-dependent confounding.

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