Compound Found in Broccoli Could Ease Autism Symptoms
Compound Found in Broccoli Could Ease Autism Symptoms – A new study examines whether a compound found in broccoli and other cruciferous vegetables might help with autism symptoms in young males.
Broccoli might help ease autism symptoms based on new research published in the proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Could the findings give the age-old “eat your vegetables” give a whole new meaning? Well, yes and no, depending on how you view the results.
The study looked at 44 males, age 13 to 27 with moderate to severe autism. Those who did not receive a placebo were administered pills containing the compound, sulforaphane, which is found naturally in broccoli, cauliflower, kale, and cabbage. On the positive side, after 18 weeks, a whopping 46% of the males receiving the compound showed improved social skills. About the same number exhibited better verbal communication and more than 50% reined in aberrant behavior tendencies.
Some study participants even took on new skills, such as shaking hands with others and making eye-contact. In fact, the study coauthor, Dr. Andrew Zimmerman told the The Telegraph,”When we … revealed who was receiving sulforaphane and who got the placebo, the results weren’t surprising to us, since the improvements were so noticeable.” That’s probably because the subjects who received the placebo showed no improvement in any category.
But of course, this broccoli study needs to be taken with a pinch of salt. First, it’s critical to note that one-third of participants who received sulforaphane showed no improvement. Second, the positive effects of the compound wore off 4 weeks after subjects stopped taking it. And a third worrying point is two participants receiving the compound had seizures during the course of the study. The two males in question, had a history of seizures.
But the study authors noted that no participants receiving the placebo had seizures during the study, so they must consider it a possible side-effect.
Finally, and perhaps the most frustrating, for parents looking for an easy answer, broccoli from the grocery store is not going to give kids with autism the same benefits as the pills. The amount of sulforaphane is much higher in pil form than is found naturally in the vegetables and higher doses are not commercially available right now.
It seems that most important point to draw from the study is that scientists are calling it “intriguing”. Susan Hyman, chief of neurodevelopment and pediatrics at the University of Rochester Medical Center, told ABC,”The trial needs to be replicated and evalutaed in larger and more age-diverse samples.” She added that the data is certainly worth pursuing.
The potential of such a breakthrough is far-reaching as according to the National Autism Association, 1 in 68 children are now affected by autism.
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