Broccoli sprouts are defined as three- to four-day-old broccoli plants. At this stage some of the nutrients exist in smaller amounts than in mature broccoli, but the sprouts contain other powerful nutrients in much greater quantity than the older plant. Broccoli sprouts continue to be studied by researchers for their health benefits, including their role in fighting cancer.
Sulforaphane
In the March 1992 issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Zhang, Talalay, et al. reported that a compound found in broccoli and other cruciferous vegetables called sulforaphane stimulates enzymes that boost the body's antioxidant defenses. Together with a team of scientists, in 1997 Talalay, a researcher at Johns Hopkins, discovered that broccoli sprouts contain 20 to 50 times more sulforaphane than the amount found in mature broccoli. Sulforaphane has also been shown to increase the body's cancer-fighting ability.
In a study published in the April 2009 issue of Cancer Prevention Research, another Hopkins researcher, Jed Fahey, M.S., Sc.D. reported that eating broccoli sprouts daily reduced the level of a cancer-causing bacterium called H. pylori.
Basic Nutrient Information
Nutrient data supplied by Brassica (a research institute affiliated with Johns Hopkins University) states that a one half-cup serving of broccoli sprouts contains 16 calories, 1.4 grams of protein, 1.9 grams of carbohydrates, and 1.1 gram of dietary fiber. Broccoli sprouts contain no fats or cholesterol.
Water Soluble Vitamins
Broccoli sprouts contain 0.04 milligrams of thiamin, 0.9 milligrams of niacin, 0.07 milligrams of vitamin B6 and 0.1 micrograms of vitamin B12. They're a good source of vitamin C, containing 20 milligrams of vitamin C per serving.
Fat Soluble Vitamins
Vitamins A, E and K are found in broccoli sprouts. The sprouts contain 561 international units (IUs) of vitamin A and 308 IUs of carotene. They only have a trace amount of vitamin K (37.8 micrograms) but provide about as much vitamin E as a serving of spinach (3.8 milligrams).
Minerals
Broccoli sprouts contain a moderate amount of calcium (26 milligrams). They also provide 39.4 milligrams of phosphorous, 16.9 milligrams of magnesium, 0.22 milligrams of iron, and 14 micrograms of selenium. They contain only 2.88 milligrams of sodium.
Compare Nutrients
A chart comparing the nutrition in broccoli sprouts to raw and cooked mature broccoli is available online. A tool that can be used to compare the amount of each nutrient in broccoli sprouts to other food sources of the same nutrient can be found at the USDA Nutrient Database (see Resources below).
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