Chemical compound called sulforaphane derived from broccoli could potentially large decrease symptoms of autism in some people who suffer from this disorder.
The study was conducted on a small scale to the 40 boys and men who suffer from autism. They were aged between 13 and 27 years. For 18 weeks, 26 participants get between 9-27 mg daily supforaphane. Meanwhile, 14 people get a placebo.
This research was inspired by a 2007 study that showed that when children with autism have a fever, increased their social interaction skills.
"We hypothesize that changes when the fever may cause changes in the cells that is triggered by cellular stress response," says lead researcher, Dr. Andrew Zimmerman, a professor of pediatrics and neurology.
He explained that there are some chemicals that trigger changes in the behavior of children with autism during a fever, which hyrdoxyurea, a drug used for sickle cell disease, and sulforaphane. The substance has also been used in 20 studies of cancer.
The study was conducted on a small scale to the 40 boys and men who suffer from autism. They were aged between 13 and 27 years. For 18 weeks, 26 participants get between 9-27 mg daily supforaphane. Meanwhile, 14 people get a placebo.
This research was inspired by a 2007 study that showed that when children with autism have a fever, increased their social interaction skills.
"We hypothesize that changes when the fever may cause changes in the cells that is triggered by cellular stress response," says lead researcher, Dr. Andrew Zimmerman, a professor of pediatrics and neurology.
He explained that there are some chemicals that trigger changes in the behavior of children with autism during a fever, which hyrdoxyurea, a drug used for sickle cell disease, and sulforaphane. The substance has also been used in 20 studies of cancer.
