American scientists from the Johns Hopkins University believe that broccoli can be the key to the treatment of autism.

The study showed that a chemical called sulforaphane, which gives broccoli a distinctive bitter taste, makes adolescents and young people with autism more calm and sociable. Notable improvements were noted after four weeks of sulforaphane use, when subjects were able to look into the eyes of researchers and even shake their hand.

Experts studied 44 young people aged 13 to 27 years with a moderate and severe form of autism. One group of subjects was given sulforaphane in capsules once a day and the other with placebo. The trial lasted for 18 months. The results showed that sulforaphane works in most cases - the patient's behavior improved after four weeks. By the end of the study, young people on average were less irritable, they had more energy, they were more motivated, easier to communicate with other people and less likely to repeat the same actions. According to scientists, the changes were quite noticeable for them and for parents, which confirms the positive effect of broccoli on the behavior of patients with autism. Particularly significant was the improvement of indicators in tests for social responsiveness - the ability to communicate with other people.

Specialists note that people with autism have abnormalities in the cells, including inflammation and damage to DNA, and sulforaphane effectively cures these lesions and protects them from further problems.

However, the capsules could not help everyone - they worked in about two thirds of cases. Also, the effects in behavior were not constant and began to disappear after discontinuation of treatment. Scientists have patented their discovery and now want to conduct more research on various population groups, including children. Unfortunately, while specialists can not say how much broccoli should be eaten in order to extract a full benefit from it. It is worth noting that sulforaphane is also found in Brussels sprouts and cauliflower.

nedug. en.