Press Release:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, March 21, 2005
Kris Staaf or Jamie Resnik
Peter Webb Public Relations
303-796-8888

BALTIMORE, MD -- More than 300 scientific studies point to an antioxidant found in broccoli sprouts, sulforaphane glucosinolate (SGS™), as a factor in preventing multiple diseases, including several types of cancer, high blood pressure, macular degeneration and stomach ulcers. Now a new study shows the naturally occurring antioxidant SGS may help reduce cholesterol levels in a matter of days.

A pilot study, from the Tokyo University of Agriculture and The Japan Institute for the Control of Aging, revealed that individuals who ate 3 1/2 ounces of broccoli sprouts daily for just one week reduced their overall cholesterol level and increased their levels of HDL or "good" cholesterol. The consumption of broccoli sprouts, containing SGS, also reduced the amount of oxidative stress or cell destruction caused by free radicals.¹

"This study is significant because it underscores the powerful preventive role that we think sulforaphane plays in assisting the body to help fend off a variety of diseases," said Dr. Jed Fahey, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. "There are human studies underway across the globe that are examining the diverse disease fighting potential of this compound."

Dr. Fahey discussed several groundbreaking studies on SGS during his presentation at the Natural Foods Expo in Anaheim, California on March 19th.

Scientists at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, led by Paul Talalay, M.D., were the first to discover in 1992 that broccoli is a rich source of sulforaphane and its precursor glucosinolate (SGS). They soon realized that broccoli sprouts - 3-day-old broccoli plants - provide 20 times the concentration of SGS found in adult broccoli. Since then, more than 300 scientific studies have been published in this field.

"The body of knowledge about the protective effects of SGS is growing at a tremendous rate," added Fahey. "Within the past year alone, there have been breakthroughs regarding the impact of SGS on cardiovascular disease, eye health, and the prevention or spread of cancer."

At the University of Saskatchewan, Dr. Bernhard Juurlink showed that feeding broccoli sprouts to rats prevented high blood pressure, heart disease and stroke. (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA, May 4, 2004)². Work published this month in the PNAS by Dr. Talalay and Michael Sporn of Dartmouth, further supports the view that cellular inflammation can be controlled by these types of inducers. ³

In the March 2005 issue of Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science, Junji Yodoi of the University of Kyoto showed that sulforaphane was able to boost the level of a key enzyme that protects retinal cells against various types of cellular and tissue damage. ⁴ This follows work published last year by Drs. Paul Talalay and Xiangqun Gao from Johns Hopkins, showing that pretreatment with sulforaphane was able to protect retinal cells against chemical and photo-oxidative damage. ⁵

Also this month, work published in Cancer Research by Shivendra Singh at the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Center further supports the view that not only can sulforaphane effectively detoxify carcinogens before they initiate tumor formation, but it can also suppress proliferation of existing cancer cells by causing them to self-destroy. ⁶

Abundant and overwhelming epidemiological evidence shows that those who eat large amounts of fruits and vegetables, particularly cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, have reduced incidences of cancer. Cruciferous vegetables contain glucosinolates that are converted into isothiocyanates, such as sulforaphane, in the body when eaten. Sulforaphane glucosinolate (SGS) is found in high concentrations in broccoli and in very high concentrations in certain selected types of broccoli sprouts.

Brassica Protection Products LLC is the exclusive worldwide licensee of the SGS™ technology from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Brassica offers BroccoSprouts^®, broccoli sprouts which contain measured and consistent high levels of SGS, and Brassica^® Teas, which contain an extract of SGS. . Brassica will begin producing an extract of SGS™ available for inclusion in other products. The first of these is Vitalica™, a dietary supplement of SGS™ glucosinolate available this spring and marketed by CS Agra (www.mysgs.com). For more information, visit www.broccosprouts.com or www.brassica.com.

The studies mentioned above include:

1  Megumi Murashima, Shaw Watanabe, Xing-Gang Zhuo, Mariko Uehara, Atsushi Kurashige, "Phase 1 Study of Multiple Biomarkers for Metabolism and Oxidative Stress After One-Week Intake of Broccoli Spouts." BioFactors 22, pp. 271-275, (2004).

2  Bernhard H. J. Juurlink, "Dietary Approach to Attenuate Oxidative Stress, Hypertension and Inflammation in the Cardiovascular System." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA, Vol. 101, pp. 7094-7099. May 4, 2004.

3  A.T. Dinkova-Kostova, K.T. Liby, K.K. Stephenson, W.D. Holtzclaw, X.Gao, N. Suh, C. Williams, R. Risingsong, T. Honda, G.W. Gribble, M.B.Sporn and P. Talalay, "Extremely potent triterpenoid inducers of the phase 2 response: Correlations of protection against oxidant and inflammatory stress." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA, online publication March 14, 2005.

4  Masaki Tanito, Hiroshi Masutani, Yong-Chul Kim, Mai Nishikawa, Akihiro Ohira and Junji Yodoi, "Sulforaphane Induces Thioredoxin through the Antioxidant-Responsive Element and Attenuates Retinal Light Damage in Mice." Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Science, Vol. 46, No. 3, March 2005.

5  Xiangqun Gao, Paul Talalay, "Induction of Phase 2 Genes by Sulforaphane Protects Retinal Pigment Epithelial Cells Against Photooxidative Damage." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA, Vol. 101, pp. 10446-10451, July 13, 2004. (link)

6  Sunga Choi, Shivendra Singh, "Bax and Bak Are Required for Apoptosis Induction by Sulforaphane, a Cruciferous Vegetable-Derived Cancer Chemoprotective Agent." Cancer Research, pp. 2035-2043. March 1, 2005.