Sulforaphane activates the NRF2 pathway, turning on phase II detoxification and promoting the expression of 200 antioxidant genes for up to 72 hours.
"sulforaphane is the best natural molecule at turning on the NRF2 pathway. And that's important because that's responsible for phase two detoxification. ... turns on 200 different genes that express and promote 200 different antioxidants. And they it stays on for 72 hours." (said at 0:09:16)
Sulforaphane (SFN) is well established in preclinical and biochemical studies as a potent activator of the Keap1/Nrf2/ARE signaling pathway, which upregulates downstream cytoprotective, phase II detoxification enzymes and endogenous antioxidant proteins. However, the speaker overstates and simplifies these findings in several ways. While the Nrf2 transcriptional network controls hundreds of cytoprotective genes (estimates often range around 200+ genes in transcriptomic profiling), these encode various phase II enzymes, glutathione-synthesis proteins, and transporters, rather than directly expressing '200 different antioxidants' that remain continuously active for a fixed 72-hour period in vivo across tissues. Furthermore, calling it the single 'best natural molecule' is an absolute ranking unsupported by clinical consensus, and randomized clinical trials in humans (such as in atopic asthmatics consuming broccoli sprouts) have demonstrated that oral intake does not consistently induce cytoprotective antioxidant gene expression in target tissues or reduce markers of oxidative stress.
- partial: Induction of phase 2 antioxidant enzymes by broccoli sulforaphane: perspectives in maintai… (Frontiers in genetics 2012)
"The ITC sulforaphane, which is derived from glucoraphanin, has garnered particular interest as an indirect antioxidant due to its extraordinary ability to induce expression of several enzymes via the KEAP1/Nrf2/ARE pathway. Nrf2/ARE gene products are typically characterized as Phase II detoxification enzymes and/or antioxidant (AO) enzymes." (abstract, results, passage verified)
pubmedfull study (doi) - contradicts: A Randomized Controlled Trial of the Effect of Broccoli Sprouts on Antioxidant Gene Expres… (The journal of allergy and clinical immunology. In practice 2016)
"BS ingestion for 3 consecutive days did not reduce FENO, despite resulting in a marked increase in serum SFN concentrations (21 vs 22 parts per billion, P = .76). Furthermore, BS consumption did not induce cytoprotective antioxidant genes in either PBMCs or nasal epithelial cells, reduce OS and inflammatory markers, or improve lung function." (abstract, results, passage verified)
pubmedfull study (doi)