sulforaphane supplementation study
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Fatty Acid MetabOlism in individuals Undergoing Sulforaphane supplementation (FAMOUS).
IRAS ID
261744
Contact name
Leanne Hodson
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Oxford
Duration of Study in the UK
3 years, 11 months, 31 days
Research summary
Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is increasing in the population, and is associated with heart disease and diabetes. At present there are no licensed drugs for treatment of NAFLD, therefore changes in diet and increased physical activity leading to decreased body fatness is the recommended management/treatment strategy. However, these are difficult to achieve and maintain for many individuals. A potential compound gaining interest in regards treatment/prevention NAFLD is sulforaphane, which is found in vegetables such as Broccoli. Animal studies suggest supplementing with sulforaphane can increase fat oxidation. This increased “fat burning” may result in lower levels of fat in the liver and overall in the body.
We will ask volunteers to undergo two intervention phases in a random order; one intervention will involve consuming two sulforaphane tablets a day for approximately 3 weeks, whilst the other intervention phase will involve consuming a placebo for approximately 3 weeks. Volunteers will be asked to maintain all other aspects of their lifestyle throughout these intervention phases. We will measure and compare volunteers whole-body and liver fat oxidation in response to a standardised test meal at the end of these intervention phases by taking blood and breath samples. We will also measure the amount of fat in volunteers liver and heart using a non-invasive technique known as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) before and after both intervention phases.
REC name
Wales REC 5
REC reference
19/WA/0211
Date of REC Opinion
22 Jul 2019
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion