Brussels sprouts

Studies in people

• Benefit

  DNA damage and cancer risk³

  In men, eating Brussels sprouts daily for three weeks lowered a marker of DNA damage in their urine.

• Benefit

  Bowel cancer risk⁶

  Eating Brussels sprouts for a week raised certain detox enzymes in people's rectum, which may help explain lower bowel cancer risk.

• Benefit

  Cancer risk and the body's defences⁷

  In men who ate Brussels sprouts daily, a natural defence protein in their blood rose.

• Benefit

  DNA damage in cells⁸

  Eating Brussels sprouts was linked to less DNA damage in people's cells, though scientists do not yet know if this prevents cancer.

• No harm found

  Thyroid function⁹

  Eating cooked Brussels sprouts daily for a month did not change thyroid function in ten people.

• Open question

  Blood-thinning medicine¹⁰

  Eating lots of brussels sprouts sped up how fast the body cleared warfarin, a blood-thinning medicine.

Animal and lab studies only

• Benefit

  Detox enzyme boost¹¹

  Brussels sprouts with their natural enzyme intact raised detox enzymes in mice more than blanched ones.

How it’s made and used

• Liver enzyme response⁴

  In men but not women, eating cooked Brussels sprouts raised a liver enzyme level in the blood.

• How the body handles medicine⁵

  Eating brussels sprouts changed how quickly the body cleared two medicines, acetaminophen and oxazepam, in ten healthy people.

The signal at the top counts the findings in people and in animal and lab studies. A concern in studies of people outranks animal and lab studies, and “No concerns” needs at least one finding in people. When most findings in people point one way, the page leans that way (“Mostly”), and every finding is still shown. Findings whose study type is not stated are shown but not counted. This page is a reference, not medical advice. It describes what regulators and published research say. Talk to a doctor or dietitian about your own diet.