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Suforaphane - which gives broccoli its bitter taste - could help treat autism, a study found

Broccoli could hold the key to treating autism, research suggests.

The chemical that gives broccoli its distinctive bitter taste made teenagers and young men with autism calmer and more sociable, a study found.

'Remarkable' improvements were seen in as little as four weeks and by the end of the study, some of those given a capsule a day felt able to look the researchers in the eye and shake their hand.

The finding suggests it may be possible to create a pill that gets to the root of autism for the first time.

Existing drugs simply control symptoms such as aggression, hyperactivity or sleep problems, but do not address the underlying cause of the condition.  

Researcher Dr Paul Talalay, a professor of pharmacology in the US who has spent the last 25 years researching nature's medicine cabinet, said: 'It was a small study but the effects were very, very large.

'We believe that this may be preliminary evidence for the first treatment for autism that improves symptoms by apparently correcting some underlying cellular mechanisms.'

British experts described the research as 'intriguing' but said it is simply too early to say if broccoli is beneficial in autism.

The research, from the respected MassGen Hospital for Children and Johns Hopkins University, both in Boston, comes amid concern about rising rates of autism.

More than one in 100 British children has autism or a related condition such as Asperger's Syndrome - a 10-fold increase on 30 years ago.

Symptoms vary from child to child but they usually revolve around difficulty with social interaction, difficulty with communication and a need for routine and repetitive behaviour.

The excitement surrounds sulforaphane, a chemical made when we eat broccoli. 

Rocket, Brussels sprouts and cabbage are other good sources and it is already studied for its promise in treating cancer and Alzheimer's disease.

Some 44 males with moderate to severe autism and aged between 13 and 27 were given either a sulforaphane capsule a day or a dummy pill for 18 months.

They also underwent three different behavioural assessments.

The results of these showed that sulforaphane helped most of the volunteers – and in most cases, behaviour had improved in as little as four weeks.

Rocket, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower and cabbage are all good sources of sulforaphane, which helped children and young men with autism become calmer and more sociable, sometimes after just four weeks

By the end of the study, the men and boys were on average less irritable. They had more energy, were more motivated, found it easier to communicate with others and were less likely to repeat the same mannerisms over and over.

The changes were big enough to be noticeable – with the researchers and parents able to tell which had been given the broccoli chemical from their behaviour, despite the fact this was meant to be a secret until the end of the experiment.

The study's authors were particularly excited about how much the men improved on tests of 'social responsiveness' – the ability to communicate with others.

Researcher Dr Andrew Zimmerman said: 'The results seen on the social responsiveness scale were particularly remarkable.

People with autism tend to have abnormalities in their cells, which suforaphane can help repair (file picture)

'I've been told this is the first time that any statistical improvement on the social responsiveness scale has been seen for a drug in autism spectrum disorder.'

Dr Talalay, whose daughter Rachel is a Dr Who director, said the capsules were 'totally safe'.

Two of those taking them suffered fits – but this may have been a symptom of their autism, rather than a side-effect of the sulforaphane.

Those treated also put on weight – but this may have been because they felt better in themselves, the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences reports.

Dr Talalay said that people with autism tend to have various abnormalities in their cells – including inflammation and DNA damage.

And it is thought that sulforaphane repairs the damage and protects against further problems.

However, the capsules didn't help everyone – they only worked in about two-thirds of cases.

And effects in behaviour weren't permanent – they began to wear off after the treatment was stopped.

The researchers, who have patented their discovery, now want to study larger, more diverse groups of people, including children.

Unfortunately, they can't say how much broccoli the average person would have to eat to benefit.

This is because the chemistry of sulforaphane is complex. In broccoli, and other vegetables, it is found in an inactive form called glucoraphanin. This turns into sulforaphane when broccoli is cut up, chewed or eaten.

However, some types of broccoli contain much more glucoraphanin than others. And some people's bodies are much better at turning it into sulforaphane than others.

The team are trying to create a capsule that takes all of this into account.

But Dr Rosa Hoekstra, of the The Open University, said: 'Although the findings of this study are intriguing, it is much too early to draw any firm conclusions about the possible benefits of broccoli for people with autism.

'It is impossible to draw firm and generalizable conclusions based on such a small and selected group of participants.

'Therefore, as things stand, parents of a child with autism should not feel guilty if their child refuses to eat broccoli.'