Head to head
Sulforaphane against Protandim
Two NRF2 activators, one a single compound and one a commercial blend. Protandim genuinely extended male mouse lifespan in the government testing programme, median only, males only, and has no human ageing data.
Column A
SulforaphaneSulforaphane, an isothiocyanate released from broccoli glucoraphanin
Three randomised trials with prespecified primary endpoints, three misses: PSA slope in 78 men after prostatectomy, fasting glucose in 74 adults with prediabetes, and the autism replication in 45 children. The cleanest positive human result is a urinary detoxification biomarker, a 63.2 percent rise in benzene mercapturic acid excretion in Qidong, China.
Column B
ProtandimProtandim, botanical Nrf2-activating mixture
A commercial supplement that genuinely extended male mouse lifespan in the government testing programme, which almost no supplement can claim. Median only, males only, and no human ageing data.
Side by side, on the facts we can check
| Attribute | Sulforaphane | Protandim |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Antioxidant | Antioxidant |
| FDA status | Not an approved drug for any indication. Sold as a dietary supplement, usually as broccoli seed or sprout extract standardised to glucoraphanin rather than to 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. |
| Mechanism | Sulforaphane modifies cysteine residues on KEAP1, which releases the transcription factor NRF2 to enter the nucleus and drive a large battery of phase 2 detoxification and antioxidant genes, including glutathione S-transferases and NAD(P)H quinone dehydrogenase 1. This is why its most reproducible human effect is on the conjugation and excretion of electrophilic toxicants rather than on any disease process: the pathway it activates is literally a disposal system. Separate work identified sulforaphane by matching a type 2 diabetes liver gene expression signature against a library of 3,800 drug signatures, and found it suppressed hepatic glucose production through NRF2 nuclear translocation with reduced expression of gluconeogenic enzymes. In the plant it does not exist. Broccoli stores the stable glucosinolate glucoraphanin in one compartment and the enzyme myrosinase in another, and sulforaphane is generated when the tissue is damaged, which is the relevance of chewing, chopping and of whether a capsule contains active enzyme. | A combination of botanical extracts including milk thistle, bacopa, ashwagandha, green tea and turmeric, selected to activate nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2. Nrf2 is held inactive by KEAP1 and released under electrophilic stress, whereupon it drives transcription of antioxidant response element genes including glutathione synthesis enzymes and haem oxygenase 1. The proposed logic is indirect: rather than supplying antioxidants, it prompts the cell to make its own, which avoids the problem that direct antioxidant supplementation has repeatedly failed to extend lifespan. Being a mixture, no effect can be attributed to any single component. |
| Human studies cited | 7 | 0 |
| Legal status, US | Sold as a supplement | Sold as a supplement |
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between Sulforaphane and Protandim?
Sulforaphane: Three randomised trials with prespecified primary endpoints, three misses: PSA slope in 78 men after prostatectomy, fasting glucose in 74 adults with prediabetes, and the autism replication in 45 children. The cleanest positive human result is a urinary detoxification biomarker, a 63.2 percent rise in benzene mercapturic acid excretion in Qidong, China. Protandim: A commercial supplement that genuinely extended male mouse lifespan in the government testing programme, which almost no supplement can claim. Median only, males only, and no human ageing data.
Which has stronger research evidence, Sulforaphane or Protandim?
This database does not grade compounds. It counts what was run in people: 7 of the 7 studies cited on the Sulforaphane profile were human work, against 0 of 1 for Protandim. Those counts are of our own citation lists and understate any larger literature, and neither is a recommendation.
Are Sulforaphane and Protandim FDA-approved?
Sulforaphane: Not an approved drug for any indication. Sold as a dietary supplement, usually as broccoli seed or sprout extract standardised to glucoraphanin rather than to 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 sets two published records side by side. It is educational, it is not medical advice, and it contains no dosing protocols or recommendations for personal use.