Sulforaphane is a chemical made when we eat broccoli, cabbage and sprouts Chemical - which gives broccoli its bitter taste - could help treat autism Teenagers with autism showed 'remarkable improvements' after 4 weeks Helped young men with autism become calmer and more sociable People with autism tend to have various abnormalities in their cells Sulforaphane repairs the damage and protects against further problems Existing drugs control symptoms like aggression and hyperactivity Researchers have patented their discovery and want to do more studies They cant say how much broccoli a person would have to eat to benefit
By Fiona Macrae Science Correspondent
Published: 14:00 EST, 13 October 2014 | Updated: 14:03 EST, 13 October 2014
Suforaphane - which gives broccoli its bitter taste - could help treat autism, a study found
Broccoli could hold the key to treating autism, research suggests.
The chemical that gives broccoli its distinctive bitter taste made teenagers and young men with autism calmer and more sociable, a study found.
Remarkable improvements were seen in as little as four weeks and by the end of the study, some of those given a capsule a day felt able to look the researchers in the eye and shake their hand.
The finding suggests it may be possible to create a pill that gets to the root of autism for the first time.
Existing drugs simply control symptoms such as aggression, hyperactivity or sleep problems, but do not address the underlying cause of the condition.
Researcher Dr Paul Talalay, a professor of pharmacology in the US who has spent the last 25 years researching natures medicine cabinet, said: It was a small study but the effects were very, very large.
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