Broccoli has been linked with a wide range of health benefits, including helping to prevent cancer, regulating metabolism and reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease.
Now researchers from the University of Gothenburg believe the cruciferous vegetable could also reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
Can broccoli reduce risk of type 2 diabetes?
Results from a new study, published in Nature Microbiology, show that participants taking sulforaphane, a compound found naturally in broccoli, had a higher average reduction in fasting blood sugar than those taking a placebo.
The researchers observed an even greater difference when analysing clinical subgroups.
The group with the greatest improvement had early signs of mild age-related diabetes, a relatively low BMI in the context of the study, low insulin resistance, low incidence of fatty liver disease, and low insulin secretion.
The research team had previously identified sulforaphane as a potential antidiabetic compound for type 2 diabetes. The 2017 clinical study showed that participants with diabetes experienced significantly lower blood sugar levels after taking high doses of sulforaphane extracted from broccoli sprouts.
How was the study conducted?
The study included 89 individuals, with elevated fasting blood sugar, an indicator of prediabetes. Other criteria included the participants being overweight or obese and between 35 and 75 years old.
In a blind study, the participants were randomly assigned sulforaphane or a placebo for 12 weeks. A total of 74 participants completed all stages of the study.
The researchers then went on to study how gut bacteria processed sulforaphane, discovering a gut bacterium that is able to interact with the compound. This could further improve efficacy of the broccoli compound.
Food as medicine trend
The discovery of broccoli’s potential in helping to reduce the risk of developing diabetes could further fuel the growing food as medicine trend, as consumers seek to improve their health through diet.
“The treatment of prediabetes is currently lacking in many respects, but these new findings open the way for possible precision treatment using sulforaphane extracted from broccoli as a functional food,” says Professor Anders Rosengren, author on the study.
This research also provides further understanding on the potential role of gut bacteria in helping to prevent diabetes.
”The results of the study offer a general model of how pathophysiology and gut flora interact with and influence treatment responses. A model that could have broader implications,” says Professor Anders Rosengren.
Source: Effect of broccoli sprout extract and baseline gut microbiota on fasting blood glucose in prediabetes: a randomized, placebo-controlled trial
Published online: 10 February 2025
DOI: 10.1038/s41564-025-01932-w
Authors: Chinmay Dwibedi, Annika S. Axelsson, Birgitta Abrahamsson et al.
English