Sulforaphane, a phytochemical in broccoli sprouts, ameliorates obesity
In the current study, the researchers of Kanazawa University in collaboration with the researchers of Kagome Co., Ltd. compared the mice fed with high-fat food supplemented with sulforaphane and the others with high-fat food but without sulforaphane in terms of their body weight. The researchers found that the mice fed with sulforaphane exhibited the weight gain rate 15% lower than that of the mice fed without sulforaphane, 20% visceral fat reduction, and reduction of augmentation of their hepatic steatosis and blood glucose level. Further research has allowed the researchers to indicate the followings; 1) Sulforaphane augments the level of uncoupling protein-1*2 (UCP-1) and accelerates adipose tissue browning*3, which induces augmentation of energy consumption and fat burning; 2) Sulforaphane decreases relative abundance of bacterial family Desulfobivrionaceae in the gut, which overproduces exdotoxin*4 (LPS), thus decreasing the endotoxin level in the blood to ameliorate metab...