ImmunometabolismEXSFNNCT07668596
Independent and Combined Effects of Short-term Sulforaphane Supplementation and Exercise on Immunometabolism in Healthy Adults
A study testing Sulforaphane-rich Broccoli Sprout Extract and High Intensity Interval Treadmill Running in people with Immunometabolism and Mitochondrial Function, Bioenergetics, run by University of British Columbia at 1 site in Canada.
Trial summary
The study consist of 3 interventional periods which will be completed by each consenting participant in a randomized, crossover fashion. The interventional periods will be separated by a minimum 1 week washout period. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 19 to 35 yearsHealthy volunteers can take part
- Conditions the study is for
- Immunometabolism, Mitochondrial Function, Bioenergetics, Inflammation
- What is being tested?
- Sulforaphane-rich Broccoli Sprout Extract and High Intensity Interval Treadmill Running
- Type of treatment
- Pill or oral medicine
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 20 participants
- Where
- 1 siteCanada
- Study dates
- 1 Mar 2026to 1 Jun 2028
- Phase
- Interventional
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 19 to 35 years
- All sexes
- Healthy volunteers accepted
- Adult
Who may be able to join
- aged between 19 and 35 years
- not a current smoker
- physically active based on the Canadian Physical Activity Guidelines (150 minutes of weekly physical activity)
Who cannot join
- a history of cardiometabolic diseases or respiratory diseases (e.g., chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma, diabetes, coronary artery disease)
- currently following a ketogenic diet
- body mass index (BMI) over 30 kg/m2
- unable to read or communicate in English
- having received a vaccination or experienced an upper respiratory tract infection in the last 4 weeks
- having donated more than 0.5 L of blood within the last 4 weeks
- currently pregnant
- have contraindications to high intensity exercise (assessed using the CSEP Get Active Questionnaire)
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country. Contact the study team or a site near you to ask about taking part.
Canada1 site, 1 recruiting
- Recruiting
Reichwald Health Sciences Centre
Kelowna, British Columbia, V1V 1V7
Sean McIntyre, 2505757528, smcint04@student.ubc.ca
About this study
Official title: Independent and Combined Effects of Short-term Sulforaphane Supplementation and Exercise on Immunometabolism in Healthy Adults: A Randomized Crossover Study
The study consist of 3 interventional periods which will be completed by each consenting participant in a randomized, crossover fashion. The interventional periods will be separated by a minimum 1 week washout period. One of the interventions consists of 4 days of daily supplementation with the commercially available broccoli sprout extract capsules (BrocElite). Another intervention will consist of 4 days of daily supervised treadmill running. The exercise protocol consists of 4 minutes of high-intensity running running followed by a 3 minute recovery period, repeated for a total of 4 repetitions. The last intervention combines the above two and consists of 4 days of daily supplementation and daily supervised exercise training. Before and after each intervention, basic anthropometrics (weight, heart rate, and blood pressure) will be recorded, and a venous blood sample will be collected. Blood samples will be analyzed for metabolic and inflammatory markers. Participants will be asked to refrain from structured exercise, alcohol consumption, and broccoli consumption during each of the experimental periods. Before any testing, willing participants will provide informed consent, and fill out a few demographic, and lifestyle questionnaires. The study will be conducted at the University of British Columbia in Kelowna, BC, Canada.
- Being tested
- Sulforaphane-rich Broccoli Sprout Extract, High Intensity Interval Treadmill Running
- Keywords
- Nutraceuticals, Exercise, Bioenergetics, Immunometabolism, Inflammation, High intensity interval training
- Medical subject headings
- Inflammation, Motor Activity
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Sulforaphane-rich Broccoli Sprout ExtractDietary supplement
Broc Elite Plus stabilized sulforaphane capsules from Mara Labs
High Intensity Interval Treadmill RunningOther
4 cycles of: 4 minutes of intense treadmill running (85-95% HR max) followed by 3 minutes of slow, easy running.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Sulforaphane Supplementation Only | Experimental | In this intervention, participants will consume commercially available broccoli sprout extract capsules daily for 4 days (20 mg/day) . Basic anthropometrics (weight, heart rate, blood pressure) and a venous blood sample (30 mL) will be collected before and after this interventional period. Receives: Dietary Supplement: Sulforaphane-rich Broccoli Sprout Extract |
| Exercise Only | Active comparator | In this intervention, participants will complete supervised exercise sessions daily for 4 days. The exercise intervention consists of interval running on a treadmill which contains 4 cycles of: 4 minutes of intense running (85-95% HRmax) followed by 3 minutes at a slow, easy pace. Basic anthropometrics (weight, heart rate, blood pressure) and a venous blood sample (30 mL) will be collected before and after this interventional period. Receives: Other: High Intensity Interval Treadmill Running |
| Sulforaphane Supplementation and Exercise | Experimental | In this intervention, participants will consume commercially available broccoli sprout extract tablets daily for 4 days. In addition, participants will complete supervised exercise sessions daily for 4 days. The exercise intervention consists of interval running on a treadmill which contains 4 cycles of: 4 minutes of intense running (85-95% HRmax) followed by 3 minutes at a slow, easy pace. Basic anthropometrics (weight, heart rate, blood pressure) and a venous blood sample (30 mL) will be collected before and after this interventional period. Receives: Dietary Supplement: Sulforaphane-rich Broccoli Sprout Extract; Other: High Intensity Interval Treadmill Running |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Change in peripheral blood mononuclear cell oxygen consumption rate
OCR will be measured using a Seahorse Analyzer before and after each 4-day intervention
Measured: 0-4 days
Secondary outcomes (13)
TNF-alpha secretion from LPS-stimulated whole blood
TNF-alpha secretion from LPS-stimulated whole blood will be measured via ELISA before and after each 4-day period
Measured: 0-4 days
Change in percentage of classical monocytes before and after the 6-week intervention
The percentage of classical monocytes will be measured using flow cytometry at baseline and after the 4-day intervention
Measured: 0-4 days
Change in percentage of intermediate monocytes before and after the 4-day intervention
The percentage of intermediate monocytes will be measured using flow cytometry at baseline and after the 4-day intervention
Measured: 0-4 days
Change in percentage of non-classical monocytes before and after the 4-day intervention
The percentage of non-classical monocytes will be measured using flow cytometry at baseline and after the 4-day intervention
Measured: 0-4 days
Change in TLR-4 expression on classical monocytes before and after the 4-day intervention
TLR-4 expression on classical monocytes will be measured using flow cytometry at baseline and after the 4-day intervention.
Measured: 0-4 days
Change in TLR-4 expression on intermediate monocytes before and after the 4-day intervention
TLR-4 expression on intermediate monocytes will be measured using flow cytometry at baseline and after the 4-day intervention.
Measured: 0-4 days
Change in TLR-4 expression on non-classical monocytes before and after the 4-day intervention
TLR-4 expression on non-classical monocytes will be measured using flow cytometry at baseline and after the 4-day intervention
Measured: 0-4 days
Change in white blood cell counts before and after the 4-day intervention
White blood cell counts will be measured using a hematology analyzer at baseline and after the 4-day intervention
Measured: 0-4 days
TNF-alpha secretion from PolyIC-stimulated whole blood
TNF-alpha secretion from PolyIC-stimulated whole blood will be measured via ELISA before and after each 4-day period
Measured: 0-4 days
Change in peripheral blood mononuclear cell extracellular acidification rate before and after the 4-day period
PBMC ECAR will be measured using a Seahorse Analyzer at baseline and after the 4-day intervention
Measured: 0-4 days
Change in PBMC mitotracker green staining before and after the 4-day period
PBMC mitotracker green will be measured using flow cytometry before and after the 4-day intervention period
Measured: 0-4 days
Change in PBMC mitoSOX red staining before and after the 4-day period
PBMC mitoSOX red will be measured using flow cytometry before and after the 4-day intervention period
Measured: 0-4 days
Change in PBMC mitochondrial respiration before and after the 4-day intervention period
PBMC mitochondrial respiration will be measured using high-resolution respirometry before and after the 4-day period
Measured: 0-4 days
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted25 Jun 2026
- Study start1 Mar 2026
- Primary completion1 Dec 2027 (estimated)
- Study completion1 Jun 2028 (estimated)
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for ImmunometabolismStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- More trials run by University of British ColumbiaThe sponsor's other registered studies.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase N/A
- Primary purpose
- Basic science
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Crossover
- Model description
- Randomized-crossover design
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Enrolment
- 20 participants (estimated)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- University of British Columbia
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Responsible party
- Principal investigator, Hashim Islam, University of British Columbia
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07668596
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- H25-03273
- Acronym
- EXSFN
- Status last verified
- Jul 2026
- First submitted
- 19 Jun 2026
- Last updated
- 17 Jul 2026
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- No: IPD will not be shared to ensure the privacy and confidentiality of participants, in accordance with ethical guidelines and data protection regulations. Additionally, this was not included in the informed consent, which did not cover data sharing or address potential risks of re-identification.