Sulforaphane vs Protandim
Written by Aaron CuhaReviewed Sep 2026
The short answer
Two drugs that switch on NRF2, the body's defence switch. One is a single compound and one is a store bought blend. Protandim really did make male mice live longer in the government testing program, but only on the middle lifespan and only in males. It has no human ageing data.
- Sulforaphane people
- 423
- Sulforaphane nulls
- 1
- Protandim people
- 0
- Protandim nulls
- 0
Dose
No human dose established
Amounts that were given in studies sit in Human evidence on this page. None of them is a personal dose.
7 completed trials, 423 people given it
Dose
No human dose established
No published study on this page has given this compound to people and reported a result.
1 animal study, no human study
First-hand reports are counted on each profile and never added together. This page sets two published records side by side. It does not pick a winner.
Column A
SulforaphaneSulforaphane, an isothiocyanate released from broccoli glucoraphanin
Three studies set a main goal in advance, and all three missed it. They tested a prostate cancer blood marker (PSA) in 78 men after surgery, fasting blood sugar in 74 adults with prediabetes, and autism again in 45 children. The clearest win in people is a urine marker. In Qidong, China, the top dose raised how much of a benzene breakdown product people flushed out by 63.2 percent.
Column B
ProtandimProtandim, botanical Nrf2-activating mixture
A supplement brand that really did make male mice live longer in the US government testing program. Almost no supplement can say that. It raised typical lifespan only, in males only, and there is no ageing data in people.
Side by side, on the facts we can check
| What we compare | Sulforaphane | Protandim |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Antioxidant | Antioxidant |
| FDA status | Not an approved drug for any use. Sold as a dietary supplement, usually as broccoli seed or sprout extract. The label amount is usually for glucoraphanin, the inactive starting material, not for sulforaphane itself. | Sold as a dietary supplement. Not an approved drug and not approved to prevent or treat anything. |
| Half-life | Roughly 2 hours in plasma after an oral dose, with most urinary metabolite excretion complete within about a day. | Not meaningfully described. It is a mixture of botanical extracts with differing kinetics rather than a single compound. |
| Molecular weight | 177.3 Da. An isothiocyanate, not a peptide. | Not applicable. A five-component botanical mixture. |
| How it works | Sulforaphane flips a switch called NRF2. NRF2 turns on a large set of the body's own cleanup and antioxidant genes. That is why its most repeatable effect in people is helping the body tag and flush out toxins, not changing any disease. The pathway it turns on is, quite literally, a disposal system. Separate work found sulforaphane by matching a diabetic liver's gene pattern against 3,800 drug patterns. It cut sugar production in liver cells through the same NRF2 switch. The plant does not actually contain it. Broccoli stores the stable starting material, glucoraphanin, in one place and the enzyme myrosinase in another. Sulforaphane forms when the plant is damaged. That is why chewing and chopping matter, and why it matters whether a capsule has live enzyme in it. | It is a mix of plant extracts: milk thistle, bacopa, ashwagandha, green tea and turmeric. They were picked to switch on Nrf2, a protein that turns on the cell's antioxidant genes. Normally another protein, KEAP1, holds Nrf2 back. Under chemical stress, Nrf2 is let go. It then switches on genes such as the ones that make glutathione and haem oxygenase 1. The idea is indirect. Instead of adding antioxidants, it nudges the cell to make its own. That matters because taking antioxidants directly has failed again and again to extend lifespan. Because it is a mix, no effect can be pinned on any one ingredient. |
| Studies in people | 7 | 0 |
| Evidence | Moderate: 7 completed trials, 423 people given it | Animal or lab only: 1 animal study, no human study |
| Legal status, US | Sold as a supplement | Sold as a supplement |
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between Sulforaphane and Protandim?
Sulforaphane: Three studies set a main goal in advance, and all three missed it. They tested a prostate cancer blood marker (PSA) in 78 men after surgery, fasting blood sugar in 74 adults with prediabetes, and autism again in 45 children. The clearest win in people is a urine marker. In Qidong, China, the top dose raised how much of a benzene breakdown product people flushed out by 63.2 percent. Protandim: A supplement brand that really did make male mice live longer in the US government testing program. Almost no supplement can say that. It raised typical lifespan only, in males only, and there is no ageing data in people.
Which has stronger research evidence, Sulforaphane or Protandim?
Each compound gets a band worked out from facts we counted, with the math shown. Sulforaphane is Moderate (7 completed trials, 423 people given it). Protandim is Animal or lab only (1 animal study, no human study). That counts how much has been done in people. It does not rate whether either one works, and neither one is called the winner.
Are Sulforaphane and Protandim FDA-approved?
Sulforaphane: Not an approved drug for any use. Sold as a dietary supplement, usually as broccoli seed or sprout extract. The label amount is usually for glucoraphanin, the inactive starting material, not for sulforaphane itself.. Protandim: Sold as a dietary supplement. Not an approved drug and not approved to prevent or treat anything..
Reviewed Sep 2026. This page puts two published records side by side. It is for learning, and it is not medical advice. When this site shows a dose, it is the dose a trial or a clinic actually used, or what people say they did, with the source attached. None of it tells you what to take.