Independent and Combined Effects of Short-term Sulforaphane Supplementation and Exercise on Immunometabolism in Healthy Adults

NCT07668596 | Recruiting

• 1 other identifier: H25-03273
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 20
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

The study consist of 3 interventional periods which will be completed by each consenting participant in a randomized, crossover fashion. The interventional periods will be separated by a minimum 1 week washout period. One of the interventions consists of 4 days of daily supplementation with the commercially available broccoli sprout extract capsules (BrocElite). Another intervention will consist of 4 days of daily supervised treadmill running. The exercise protocol consists of 4 minutes of high-intensity running running followed by a 3 minute recovery period, repeated for a total of 4 repetitions. The last intervention combines the above two and consists of 4 days of daily supplementation and daily supervised exercise training. Before and after each intervention, basic anthropometrics (weight, heart rate, and blood pressure) will be recorded, and a venous blood sample will be collected. Blood samples will be analyzed for metabolic and inflammatory markers. Participants will be asked to refrain from structured exercise, alcohol consumption, and broccoli consumption during each of the experimental periods. Before any testing, willing participants will provide informed consent, and fill out a few demographic, and lifestyle questionnaires. The study will be conducted at the University of British Columbia in Kelowna, BC, Canada.

Conditions

Immunometabolism; Mitochondrial Function, Bioenergetics; Inflammation

Keywords

Nutraceuticals; Exercise; Bioenergetics; Immunometabolism; Inflammation; High intensity interval training

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Change in peripheral blood mononuclear cell oxygen consumption rate

  OCR will be measured using a Seahorse Analyzer before and after each 4-day intervention

  0-4 days

Secondary Outcomes (13)

• TNF-alpha secretion from LPS-stimulated whole blood

  0-4 days

• Change in percentage of classical monocytes before and after the 6-week intervention

  0-4 days

• Change in percentage of intermediate monocytes before and after the 4-day intervention

  0-4 days

• Change in percentage of non-classical monocytes before and after the 4-day intervention

  0-4 days

• Change in TLR-4 expression on classical monocytes before and after the 4-day intervention

  0-4 days

Study Arms (3)

Sulforaphane Supplementation Only

EXPERIMENTAL

In this intervention, participants will consume commercially available broccoli sprout extract capsules daily for 4 days (20 mg/day) . Basic anthropometrics (weight, heart rate, blood pressure) and a venous blood sample (30 mL) will be collected before and after this interventional period.

Dietary Supplement: Sulforaphane-rich Broccoli Sprout Extract

Exercise Only

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

In this intervention, participants will complete supervised exercise sessions daily for 4 days. The exercise intervention consists of interval running on a treadmill which contains 4 cycles of: 4 minutes of intense running (85-95% HRmax) followed by 3 minutes at a slow, easy pace. Basic anthropometrics (weight, heart rate, blood pressure) and a venous blood sample (30 mL) will be collected before and after this interventional period.

Other: High Intensity Interval Treadmill Running

Sulforaphane Supplementation and Exercise

EXPERIMENTAL

In this intervention, participants will consume commercially available broccoli sprout extract tablets daily for 4 days. In addition, participants will complete supervised exercise sessions daily for 4 days. The exercise intervention consists of interval running on a treadmill which contains 4 cycles of: 4 minutes of intense running (85-95% HRmax) followed by 3 minutes at a slow, easy pace. Basic anthropometrics (weight, heart rate, blood pressure) and a venous blood sample (30 mL) will be collected before and after this interventional period.

Dietary Supplement: Sulforaphane-rich Broccoli Sprout Extract; Other: High Intensity Interval Treadmill Running

Interventions

Sulforaphane-rich Broccoli Sprout Extract DIETARY_SUPPLEMENT

Broc Elite Plus stabilized sulforaphane capsules from Mara Labs

Sulforaphane Supplementation Only; Sulforaphane Supplementation and Exercise

High Intensity Interval Treadmill Running OTHER

4 cycles of: 4 minutes of intense treadmill running (85-95% HR max) followed by 3 minutes of slow, easy running.

Exercise Only; Sulforaphane Supplementation and Exercise

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 19 Years - 35 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64)

You may qualify if:

• aged between 19 and 35 years
• not a current smoker
• physically active based on the Canadian Physical Activity Guidelines (150 minutes of weekly physical activity)

You may not qualify if:

• a history of cardiometabolic diseases or respiratory diseases (e.g., chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma, diabetes, coronary artery disease)
• currently following a ketogenic diet
• body mass index (BMI) over 30 kg/m2
• unable to read or communicate in English
• having received a vaccination or experienced an upper respiratory tract infection in the last 4 weeks
• having donated more than 0.5 L of blood within the last 4 weeks
• currently pregnant
• have contraindications to high intensity exercise (assessed using the CSEP Get Active Questionnaire)

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University of British Columbia: lead

Study Sites (1)

Reichwald Health Sciences Centre

Kelowna, British Columbia, V1V 1V7, Canada

RECRUITING

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Inflammation; Motor Activity

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Pathologic Processes; Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms; Behavior

Central Study Contacts

Hashim Islam Principle Investigator, Ph.D

CONTACT

250-807-9122; hashim.islam@ubc.ca

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: BASIC SCIENCE
• Intervention Model: CROSSOVER
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Assistant Professor

Model Details: Randomized-crossover design

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: June 19, 2026
• First Posted: June 25, 2026
• Study Start: March 1, 2026
• Primary Completion (Estimated): December 1, 2027
• Study Completion (Estimated): June 1, 2028
• Last Updated: July 17, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-07

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

CA (1)