Sulforaphane

It seems to me like taking a daily serving of Brassica vegetables (cauliflower, broccoli, brussels sprouts) would be much better than taking a sulforaphane supplement. According to this website, it would be easy to get the same amount of sulforaphane just by eating the foods which contain it. The advantage in eating real foods, furthermore, is that there are probably other compounds and phytochemicals which work synergistically with the sulforaphane to improve hair and even other aspects of your health. One such compound would be I3c, which is the metabolic precursor of DIM, which we all know is an anti-androgen. Epidemiological studies have shown that prostate cancer (a disease whose etiology is very similar to that of MPB) is inversely correlated with intake of cruciferous vegetables containing I3C.

Sounds good. Try it out.

More research results which suggest that eating broccoli and other cruciferous vegetables is better than taking sulforaphane as a supplement:

"3,3'-diindolylmethane (DIM) is the major in vivo product of the acid-catalyzed oligomerization of indole-3-carbinol present in cruciferous vegetables, and it has been shown to exhibit anticancer properties. In this study, we assessed the effects of DIM on the metastasis of 4T1 mouse mammary carcinoma cells. In vitro culture studies showed that DIM dose-dependently inhibited the migration, invasion, and adhesion of 4T1 cells at concentrations of 0-10 micromol/L without attendant changes in cell viability. In an in vivo lung metastasis model, 4T1 cells (2 x 10(5) cells/mouse) were injected into the tail veins of syngeneic female BALB/c mice. Beginning on the second day, the mice were subjected to gavage with 0-10 mg DIM/(kg body weight x d) for 13 d. Oral DIM administration resulted in a marked reduction in the number of pulmonary tumor nodules. DIM treatment significantly reduced the levels of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-2, MMP-9, tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase (TIMP)-1, and vascular cell adhesion molecule (VCAM)-1 and increased TIMP-2 levels in the sera and lungs of mice injected with 4T1 cells. Additionally, DIM treatment reduced the serum concentrations of interleukin (IL)-1beta, IL-6 and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)alpha. We have demonstrated that DIM profoundly inhibits the lung metastasis of 4T1 cells, which was accompanied by reduced levels of MMP, adhesion molecules, and proinflammatory cytokines. These results indicate that DIM has potential as an antimetastatic agent for the treatment of breast cancer."

DIM reduces of MMP-9, IL-1, IL-6, and TNF-alpha. These are the main pro-inflammatory cytokines that are reduced by other supplements in IH's regimen. What I don't know is how much DIM is synthesized by normal metabolic processes, and what serum concentrations were achieved.

mphatesmpb wrote:More research results which suggest that eating broccoli and other cruciferous vegetables is better than taking sulforaphane as a supplement:

Agree.

Again, this is why I tell people that, IMHO, step one is to dial in your diet. Not only to avoid the "bad" stuff which can cause problems, but in general eating less bad stuff, you will by default eat more "good" stuff.

However, since it isn't practical for me to eat broccoli sprouts every day, the supplement comes in handy.

Sulforaphane obtained from broccoli sprouts is equivalent to eating six (6) "raw" broccoli because benefits from broccoli are greatly reduced once it is boiled.

I've read material stating that DIM has a great deal of difficulty making it past the stomach when taken on its own, and that an indoleplex is much more efficient. What I am not positive about is what is contained within indoleplex. I want to say that it is some special type of encapsulation that helps it make it through the stomach.

Perhaps taking DIM by itself with something to get it through the stomach such as an oil could help.

Researching sulforaphane and stumbled across a study with the following extract.

"sulforaphane downregulated the Wnt/β-catenin self-renewal pathway. "

Isn't this bad??

marku wrote:Researching sulforaphane and stumbled across a study with the following extract.

"sulforaphane downregulated the Wnt/β-catenin self-renewal pathway. "

Isn't this bad??

If that action were in the dermal papilla cells yes, however it's not going to occur that way. Instead, Wnt/β-catenin self-renewal pathway is properly downregulated in cancer by sulforaphane.

Sulforaphane itself is good for hair.

Speaking of Sulforaphane--the new Boost, which will be available in January, has a serious helping of it in the daily value. I agree that you ought to be attempting to get it from whole-food sources as much as possible, but it's not always easy. Hence, supplements!

BroccoMax contains an actual broccoli extracts plus sulforaphane so I'm sure you're getting some synergistic results

it seems sprouting broccoli at home is the cheapest option compared supplements or buying/eating whole raw/steamed cruciferous vegetables.