Cruciferous Vegetables for Health & Longevity - Quick Reference Sheet

Cruciferous Vegetables for Health & Longevity

Created on 09/03/2026 – Quick Reference based on Evidence Review created using AI4L / Opus 5 Audit

Ordinary foods with unusual chemistry: chopping or chewing releases sulfur compounds that switch on the body's own defensive enzymes. The strongest human findings are small improvements in blood sugar control and a fall in blood pressure over two weeks. Drawbacks: digestive discomfort at large portions, some medicines wearing off faster. Lifespan extension shown only in animals. (Full Review)

Protocol

Whole-food baseline
3–5 servings weekly
Trial dosing 300 g/day mixed cruciferous, split across two meals
Broccoli sprout protocol
30–60 g/day fresh 3-day sprouts
Many times the glucoraphanin of mature broccoli; rinsed twice daily
Standardised extract protocol
20–60 mg sulforaphane potential daily
Defined glucoraphanin dose with active myrosinase
Time to effect
Glucose
Twelve weeks
Largest where glucose is dysregulated
Blood pressure
Two weeks
24-hour systolic in older adults
Liver enzymes
Two months
In fatty liver disease

Benefits

Contraindications
  • Radioactive iodine scanning or therapy (low-iodine preparation window)
  • Raw sprouts: pregnancy, adults over 65, children under 5, immunocompromised
  • Untreated severe iodine deficiency (urinary iodine below 20 µg/L) with large raw intake
  • Documented mustard-family (Brassicaceae) food allergy
Key Interactions
  • Vitamin K antagonists (warfarin, phenprocoumon)
  • CYP1A2 substrates with a narrow margin (theophylline, clozapine, tizanidine)
  • Levothyroxine and antithyroid drugs (methimazole)
  • Glucose-lowering supplements and drugs (metformin, sulfonylureas)
  • Blood-pressure-lowering supplements (nitrate, garlic, magnesium)
  • Cytotoxic chemotherapy
  • Caffeine (dietary and over-the-counter tablets)
  • Paracetamol/acetaminophen (over-the-counter)

Risk & Side Effects

  • High: Gastrointestinal intolerance; foodborne infection from raw sprouts
  • Medium: Accelerated clearance of CYP1A2-metabolised drugs
  • Low: Interference with thyroid function; destabilised anticoagulation on vitamin K antagonists
  • Speculative: Protection of established tumour cells; cadmium and thallium accumulation

Monitoring

Marker Target Why
Thyroid-stimulating hormone 0.5–2.0 mIU/L Detects the one documented thyroid effect
Free thyroxine 1.0–1.5 ng/dL Confirms a real hormone shortfall
Urinary iodine concentration 100–199 µg/L Identifies when thyroid risk is real
Glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) 4.8–5.4% Tracks the best-evidenced metabolic benefit
Fasting glucose 75–86 mg/dL Primary endpoint in the glucose trials
Home systolic blood pressure Below 120 mmHg The only clinical endpoint moved in a trial
High-sensitivity C-reactive protein Below 1.0 mg/L General inflammation marker
Alanine aminotransferase (ALT) Below 25 U/L (men), below 20 U/L (women) Tracks the liver benefit
International normalised ratio (INR) Own prescribed target, typically 2.0–3.0 Detects destabilised anticoagulation
Urinary isothiocyanate excretion None established; change from own baseline Confirms conversion and absorption

Cadence: Blood pressure at 2 and 4 weeks, then quarterly. HbA1c and liver panel at 3 and 6 months, then 6–12 monthly. Thyroid at 3 months and annually where iodine is low or raw intake high. INR 1–2 weeks after a sustained change.

Qualitative Assessment

  • Digestive tolerance: no persistent bloating, cramping or urgency once intake is titrated
  • Palatability and adherence: whether the preparation method is sustainable for years rather than weeks
  • Perceived caffeine potency: a drop can flag accelerated CYP1A2 clearance before any drug level does
  • Energy and post-meal alertness: a proxy for measured post-meal glucose change
  • Sensitivity to the sulfur taste: strong aversion often tracks genotype and predicts poor long-term adherence