Chemical in Broccoli Sprouts Eases Autism Symptoms
Researchers from MassGeneral Hospital for Children and the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine provide tantalizing evidence that a chemical derived from broccoli sprouts may mitigate behavioural symptoms in those with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs).
They found that many of those who received a daily dose of the chemical sulforaphane, best known for claims that it can help prevent certain cancers, experienced significant improvements in social interaction and verbal communication skills.
Among the individuals who received the medication, researchers noted decreases in repetitive, ritualistic behaviours, as compared to those who received a placebo.
“We believe that this may be preliminary evidence for the first treatment for autism that improves symptoms by apparently correcting some of the underlying cellular problems,” said Paul Talalay, M.D., professor of pharmacology and molecular sciences. Talley has researched these vegetable compounds for the past 25 years.
“We are far from being able to declare a victory over autism, but this gives us important insights into what might help,” says co-investigator Andrew Zimmerman, M.D., now a professor of paediatric neurology at University of Massachusetts Memorial Medical Centre.
ASD experts estimate that the group of disorders affects one to two per cent of the world’s population, with a much higher incidence in boys than girls.
ASDs behavioural symptoms often include poor social interaction and verbal communication skills.
Researchers have searched for over 70 years to determine the source of ASD, and while the answer remains elusive, progress has been made.
According to Talalay, studies show that the cells of those with ASD often have high levels of oxidative stress. Investigators explain that sometime a cell’s use of oxygen can lead to unintended but harmful waste by-products that can cause inflammation, damage DNA, and lead to cancer and other chronic diseases. In 1992, he and his colleagues discovered that sulforaphane has some ability to bolster the body’s natural defences against oxidative stress, inflammation, and DNA damage.
In addition, the chemical later turned out to improve the body’s heat-shock response — a series of physiological events used to protect cells from the stress caused by high temperatures. This includes the mechanism that is evoked when people have fever.
In 2007, Zimmerman, a principal collaborator in the current study, tested this anecdotal trend clinically and found it to be true, though a mechanism for the fever effect was not identified. Because fevers, like sulforaphane, initiate the body’s heat-shock response, Zimmerman and Talalay wondered if sulforaphane could cause the same temporary improvement in autism that fevers do.
For the current study, 26 of the subjects were randomly selected to receive, based on their weight, nine to 27 milligrams of sulforaphane daily. Fourteen subjects received placebos. Behavioral assessments were again completed at four, 10 and 18 weeks while treatment continued. A final assessment was completed for most of the participants four weeks after the treatment had stopped.
Most of those who responded to sulforaphane showed significant improvements by the first measurement at four weeks and continued to improve during the rest of the treatment.
The study was published online in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Source of this article:
Study Finds Chemical in Broccoli Sprouts Eases Autism Symptoms
©Copyright 2013 by http://www.naturaltherapyforall.com Acupuncture Bradford All Rights Reserved.