Changing an inflammatory phenotype with broccoli sprouts

This follow up to Growing a broccoli sprouts Victory Garden is what’s gone on during Week 1 of starting to grow broccoli sprouts for a “30 60 grams of fresh broccoli sprouts incorporated daily into the diet” [1] program. See Week 2 of Changing an inflammatory phenotype with broccoli sprouts for changes.

Day 0 – I’ve tried many things to cure chronic inflammation over the years, basing most of my actions on what’s proven to work for other people. These treatments have helped but haven’t completely worked for me. I’ve continued them with the hypothesis that they may have positive synergistic interactions with daily eating 60 grams of 3-day-old broccoli sprouts that yield 27 mg of sulforaphane after microwaving.

Day 0 treatments included two dozen supplements I’ve taken since turning 50, a diet low in advanced glycation end products started last year [2], and naproxen (a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug). The chronically inflamed spots are the left thumb base (arthritis), tendons outside the left ankle (peroneal tendinosis), and left knee tendonitis, all probably consequences of playing golf for 40+ years.

Day 1 – ~~The vertical farming equipment is a Deluxe Kitchen Crop 4-Tray Seed Sprouter Model VKP1200 made by VICTORIO Kitchen Products.~~ I soak one tablespoon of organic broccoli seeds for 12 hours. Take them out of the ~~stackable trays~~ for a twice-daily rinsing, which is counter to directions of pouring water into the tower top. Microwave the Day 3 broccoli sprouts daily per [3]. Run its ~~tray~~ through the dishwasher (but no heat cycle). Put the ~~tray~~ back in rotation for Day 0.

Day 2 – Threw away one of my crutches, naproxen, as taking it had become more of a habit than a necessity. I’d been taking 220 mg twice daily for years until two weeks ago, when I switched to once daily.

“Sulforaphane increases several endogenous antioxidant compounds via the transcription factor Nrf2 [nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2, discovered in 1994]. Of the phytochemicals with Nrf2 inducer capacity, Brassica-derived SFN [sulforaphane] is the most potent naturally occurring biomolecule known at this time.

Another transcription factor, NF-κB, which is associated with inflammatory pathways is downregulated by SFN. This dual action of SFN is especially intriguing in that Nrf2 and NF-κB interact via their own ‘cross talk’.” [4]

Day 3 – Stopped taking 2 mg of sulforaphane in the form of a broccoli sprout extract capsule, and 200 mg of a diindolylmethane (DIM) capsule daily. DIM was raised 195% from Day 0 to Day 70 after daily intake of broccoli sprouts in [1], noting:

“The anti-inflammatory effects observed with broccoli sprouts intake are likely due to the combined effects of all the hydrolysis products of glucosinolates.”

Don’t need either supplement when broccoli sprouts supply them.

The next supplement I’ll drop is N-acetyl-cysteine (NAC), the precursor to our endogenous antioxidant glutathione. I’ve taken a 600 mg capsule twice daily for fifteen years.

[4] goes on and on about sulforaphane / glutathione interactions. For example: “Several well-studied Nrf2-dependent target genes of possible relevance are those encoding synthesis of glutathione (GSH)” in Section 5.2. SFN as a Redox Modulator that included Figure 6 below, and in Section 6. SFN: Its Redox-Modulating Effects:

Day 4 – I’d seen studies of broccoli sprouts that ranged from 3-days old (the most frequent age) to 8-days old. Before [5], I hadn’t found analyses of broccoli sprout age differences in sulforaphane contents, and only a few studies of sulforaphane differences among broccoli sprout cultivated varieties.

Day 5 – I’ve eaten sprouts at 3 – 5 days old, and haven’t noticed a taste difference after microwaving per [3]. Here’s what they look like at Days 0, 1, 2, and 3: