Isothiocyanates
Episodes
In this clip, Dr. Jed Fahey describes the beneficial effects of sulforaphane in modulating the symptoms of autism and other brain disorders.
In this clip, Dr. Jed Fahey rebuts popular claims that an all-meat diet is healthful.
Dr. Jed Fahey describes the chemical reaction that produces isothiocyanates and cautions against preparation techniques that might inhibit their production.
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In this clip, Dr. Jed Fahey describes the beneficial effects of sulforaphane in modulating the symptoms of autism and other brain disorders.
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In this clip, Dr. Jed Fahey rebuts popular claims that an all-meat diet is healthful.
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Dr. Jed Fahey describes the chemical reaction that produces isothiocyanates and cautions against preparation techniques that might inhibit their production.
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Sulforaphane Nutrition Brain Diet Nootropics Inflammation Heat Stress Autism Isothiocyanates NRF2 Moringa SupplementsDr. Jed W. Fahey discusses the health benefits of isothiocyanates, including sulforaphane and moringa.
Topic Pages
News & Publications
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The brain's vagus nerve controls fat absorption in the intestine—a possible pathway for managing obesity. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
Fat is a vital energy source, but when consumed in excess, it can promote obesity. However, the amount of fat the body absorbs may be more related to the brain than the gut. A recent study in mice found that signals from the brain’s vagus nerve regulate fat uptake in the intestine, offering a potential means to moderate obesity.
Researchers manipulated the dorsal motor nucleus of the vagus (DMV), which plays a crucial role in digestion. They inactivated DMV neurons that connect to the jejunum (the middle portion of the intestine), shortening the length of the microvilli in the gut and reducing fat absorption. However, stimulating DMV neurons increased fat absorption and promoted weight gain. Finally, they injected mice with puerarin, a bioactive compound derived from the kudzu plant, and found that the compound mimicked the effect of DMV suppression, further reducing fat absorption.
These findings suggest that controlling the DMV-vagus-jejunum pathway could provide a novel approach to managing fat absorption and weight. They also highlight yet another way the brain-gut axis influences human health.
Puerarin is an isothiocyanate, a class of sulfur-containing compounds known for their potent anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, and anti-obesity effects. Sulforaphane, another well-known isothiocyanate, shares many of these beneficial properties. To learn more about the health effects of sulforaphane, check out our overview article.
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Gut microbial conversion of glucosinolates to isothiocyanates is highly variable in humans. cancerpreventionresearch.aacrjournals.org
Glucoraphanin, a precursor to sulforaphane, is a type of glucosinolate found primarily in broccoli and kale. Its conversion to sulforaphane requires myrosinase, an enzyme co-located within the leaves, stems, and other components of the plants in which it is found. Cooking temperatures inactivate myrosinase, effectively preventing isothiocyanate conversion and allowing unhydrolyzed glucosinolates to pass into the gut. In humans, myrosinase-producing gut bacteria can convert these glucosinolates to their cognate isothiocyanates. Findings from a 2012 study indicate that microbial conversion of glucosinolates to isothiocyanates is highly variable.
Previous research has demonstrated that sulforaphane administration promotes uniformly high urinary excretion of dithiocarbamate metabolites, accounting for as much as 90 percent of the administered sulforaphane over a 24-hour period. Dithiocarbamate levels in urine serve as a biomarker of glucosinolate intake.
The study involved two dissimilar groups of people: rural Han Chinese and racially mixed Baltimoreans. The participants abstained from cruciferous vegetable consumption for three days prior to the beginning of the study. They had not taken antibiotics for two weeks prior. Each of the participants kept a food diary, provided their medical history, and kept track of their bowel activity. The participants took a glucoraphanin-rich broccoli sprout extract that provided 200 micromoles of glucoraphanin in water. The authors of the study collected urine samples from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and from 4 p.m. until 8 a.m. on the following morning.
They found that microbial-induced conversion of glucoraphanin to sulforaphane is highly variable (ranging from 1 to 40 percent of dose) and subject to interindividual differences in gut bacteria populations. As such, conversion is distinguished by “high converters” – people with high elimination profiles, and “low converters”– those with low elimination profiles. The authors of the study identified no demographic factors that affected conversion efficiency, but they did note that conversion of glucoraphanin to dithiocarbamate was greater during the day.