Isothiocyanates
Research reviewed: Up until 03/2026
Isothiocyanates (Isothiocyanates (ITCs; allyl isothiocyanate, benzyl isothiocyanate, sulforaphane et al.)) is a dietary supplement with 10 published peer-reviewed studies involving 6,000 participants, researched for Cancer Chemoprevention, Mechanisms of Chemoprevention, Anti-inflammatory & Antimicrobial Effects and 1 more areas.
Evidence at a Glance
Strength is scored by study design, sample size, study type, and outcomes
Cancer Chemoprevention
ModerateMechanisms of Chemoprevention
ModerateAnti-inflammatory & Antimicrobial Effects
ModerateSystematic Reviews & Bioavailability
ModerateResearch Visualised
Visual breakdown of the clinical data.
Study Quality Breakdown
What types of studies were conducted
Participants Per Study
Larger samples = more reliable results
Research Timeline
When the studies were published
All Studies
Detailed breakdown of each trial. Click to expand.
Cancer Chemoprevention
To assess urinary isothiocyanate excretion as a biomarker and lung cancer risk.
Study Type
Case-control study
Purpose
To assess urinary isothiocyanate excretion as a biomarker and lung cancer risk.
Dose
ITC biomarker (observational)
Participants
763 lung cancer cases, 1,108 controls
Duration
Case-control
Results
High urinary ITC excretion (reflecting intake) associated with 36% lower lung cancer risk; protection strongest in GSTM1/GSTT1 null genotype.
How They Measured It
Urinary ITC by cyclocondensation assay; lung cancer case-control comparison
To examine dietary ITC intake and bladder cancer risk.
Study Type
Prospective cohort
Purpose
To examine dietary ITC intake and bladder cancer risk.
Dose
Dietary ITC (observational)
Participants
468 bladder cancer cases in prospective cohort
Duration
10 years
Results
Higher urinary ITC excretion inversely associated with bladder cancer incidence (OR 0.49 for highest vs lowest tertile).
How They Measured It
FFQ crucifer intake; ITC excretion in spot urine; bladder cancer registry
To assess whether ITC supplementation enhances phase II enzyme capacity and carcinogen detoxification.
Study Type
Randomised intervention study
Purpose
To assess whether ITC supplementation enhances phase II enzyme capacity and carcinogen detoxification.
Dose
30 mg ITC supplement daily
Participants
50 healthy adults
Duration
8 weeks
Results
ITC supplementation significantly enhanced NQO1 and GST activity in peripheral blood cells; carcinogen-DNA adduct levels reduced significantly.
How They Measured It
Blood NQO1, GST activity; urinary carcinogen-DNA adducts
Mechanisms of Chemoprevention
To elucidate ITC-induced cell signalling changes in human colon cancer cells.
Study Type
Mechanistic in vitro
Purpose
To elucidate ITC-induced cell signalling changes in human colon cancer cells.
Dose
Benzyl-ITC and PEITC at 5-20 µM
Participants
HCT116 and SW480 colon cancer cells
Duration
24-72 hours
Results
ITCs inhibited HDAC, increased histone H3 acetylation at tumour suppressor gene promoters, and activated Nrf2 with G2/M arrest.
How They Measured It
HDAC inhibition, histone acetylation, Nrf2 activation, cell cycle analysis
To investigate allyl isothiocyanate (AITC) chemoprevention of bladder cancer in rats.
Study Type
Animal study
Purpose
To investigate allyl isothiocyanate (AITC) chemoprevention of bladder cancer in rats.
Dose
0.1% AITC in diet
Participants
Rat N-butyl-N-hydroxybutyl nitrosamine bladder cancer model
Duration
16 weeks
Results
AITC significantly reduced bladder tumour incidence and multiplicity, and induced apoptosis in urothelial cells.
How They Measured It
Bladder tumour incidence, urothelium proliferation markers, apoptosis
Anti-inflammatory & Antimicrobial Effects
To evaluate ITCs' inhibition of LPS-induced pro-inflammatory signalling in macrophages.
Study Type
In vitro anti-inflammatory study
Purpose
To evaluate ITCs' inhibition of LPS-induced pro-inflammatory signalling in macrophages.
Dose
AITC, BITC, PEITC at 2.5-20 µM
Participants
RAW264.7 murine macrophage cell line
Duration
6-hour stimulation
Results
All tested ITCs dose-dependently suppressed NF-kB activation and reduced pro-inflammatory cytokine production in LPS-stimulated macrophages.
How They Measured It
NF-kB nuclear translocation; TNF-alpha, IL-1beta, IL-6 secretion
To assess the antimicrobial activity of allyl isothiocyanate against foodborne pathogens.
Study Type
In vitro antimicrobial study
Purpose
To assess the antimicrobial activity of allyl isothiocyanate against foodborne pathogens.
Dose
AITC at various concentrations
Participants
Salmonella typhimurium, E. coli O157:H7, Listeria monocytogenes
Duration
24 hours
Results
AITC showed potent antimicrobial activity against all tested pathogens (MIC 50-200 µg/mL) and significantly inhibited biofilm formation.
How They Measured It
MIC and MBC determination; biofilm inhibition assay
Systematic Reviews & Bioavailability
To review the totality of evidence on ITCs from cruciferous vegetables for cancer prevention.
Study Type
Systematic review
Purpose
To review the totality of evidence on ITCs from cruciferous vegetables for cancer prevention.
Dose
Varied
Participants
Multiple studies reviewed
Duration
Review
Results
ITCs exhibit robust cancer chemopreventive effects in epidemiological and pre-clinical studies, mediated through Nrf2 activation, HDAC inhibition, and apoptosis induction.
How They Measured It
Comprehensive literature synthesis
To compare ITC bioavailability from raw vs heat-processed cruciferous vegetables.
Study Type
Bioavailability RCT
Purpose
To compare ITC bioavailability from raw vs heat-processed cruciferous vegetables.
Dose
80 g raw vs cooked broccoli/mustard
Participants
30 healthy adults (crossover)
Duration
Single dose/multi-day
Results
Raw preparation yielded 6-10x higher urinary ITC excretion vs cooked preparation; cooking temperature and duration inversely related to bioavailability.
How They Measured It
Urinary ITC excretion (cyclocondensation assay) over 24 hours
To assess the association between crucifer intake (ITC source) and overall cancer mortality.
Study Type
Observational cohort
Purpose
To assess the association between crucifer intake (ITC source) and overall cancer mortality.
Dose
Dietary ITC from crucifer intake (observational)
Participants
7,000 adults in cohort study
Duration
12 years follow-up
Results
Highest quintile crucifer intake associated with 21% lower cancer mortality and 24% lower all-cause mortality vs lowest quintile.
How They Measured It
FFQ dietary assessment; cancer mortality from national registry
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Isothiocyanates research
There are currently 10 peer-reviewed studies on Isothiocyanates (Isothiocyanates (ITCs; allyl isothiocyanate, benzyl isothiocyanate, sulforaphane et al.)), involving 6,000 total participants. Research covers Cancer prevention, Detoxification, Anti-inflammatory and 1 more areas. The overall evidence strength is rated as Strong.
The evidence is currently rated as "Strong Evidence". This rating is based on study design quality (randomisation, blinding, placebo controls), sample sizes, study types (10 human studies), and reported outcomes.
Isothiocyanates has been researched for: Cancer prevention, Detoxification, Anti-inflammatory, Antimicrobial. Each area has its own body of evidence which you can explore in the study breakdowns above.
Yes, 10 out of 10 studies are human trials. Human trials carry more weight in our evidence scoring system.
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