Supplements / Autism
Sulforaphane and autism: an exciting 2014 study, then mixed follow-ups.
A broccoli-sprout compound made headlines after a small trial in young men. Later trials in children were more modest.
Source-linked information, not individual medical advice. A qualified clinician should review this health content before public launch. Do not start, stop or change a supplement or treatment based on this page.
THE USEFUL DISTINCTION
A 2014 trial in 44 young men reported behavior improvements on sulforaphane versus placebo.[1] A 2021 trial in children did not find a significant difference on its primary outcome,[2] and a 2023 trial reported small, non-significant changes.[3]
The three trials in brief
2014: 29 young men (13–27) received sulforaphane and 15 received placebo for 18 weeks; caregivers and clinicians rated more improvement on sulforaphane, which faded after it stopped.[1]
2021: 57 children aged 3–12 were randomized. The clinician-rated primary outcome was not significantly different from placebo; one caregiver-rated behavior checklist did improve at 15 weeks. The authors note that effects were less notable than in their earlier trial in young men.[2]
2023: a trial in children aged 3–7 reported small and statistically non-significant improvements in social and autistic features.[3]
What not to conclude
This is not an established autism treatment, and not every product sold as broccoli sprout extract delivers the amount of sulforaphane used in studies. It is also worth asking what outcome a family hopes to change—autistic traits themselves are not something everyone wants to change.
Who does this apply to?
Young autistic men (2014) and autistic children aged 3–12 (later trials).
What remains uncertain?
Which people, if any, benefit; the dose and product; and long-term use.
Questions for your clinician
These are conversation prompts, not a suggested treatment plan.
- What specific difficulty are we hoping to help—sleep, irritability, something else?
- Is there an established approach for that difficulty to try first?
- Is the product we are considering standardized?
- How would we measure change fairly?
Sources & context
Sources checked October 3, 2026. These links support this brief; they do not imply an endorsement of NeuroCoach.
- Singh et al. — Sulforaphane treatment of autism spectrum disorder, PNAS 2014 Randomized placebo-controlled trial
- Zimmerman et al. — RCT of sulforaphane in children with ASD, Molecular Autism 2021 Randomized placebo-controlled trial
- Magner et al. — Sulforaphane treatment in children with autism, Nutrients 2023 Randomized double-blind trial