Pain
Pain
Knee pain and post exercise muscle soreness: results from small human trials
Pilot trials observed decreases in knee osteoarthritis pain and post exercise muscle tenderness. A 15 person powder and placebo crossover trial found no significant difference in muscle soreness or strength recovery.
Foods or supplements used and pain assessment methods in each trial.
- 3 studies
- Human pain assessment
- 1 study
- Animal mechanism study
- Pilot and exploratory research
- Current stage of human research
Knee Pain · Difference in 12-Week Change
Pain reduction versus control · points on a 0–20 scale
Point: estimate / line: 95% confidence interval · farther right indicates less pain
7 assigned to broccoli / 17 to control · pre-peer-review feasibility study
Read Davidson · 2024 →View values and units
| Group | Estimate | 95% confidence interval |
|---|---|---|
| Difference versus placebo | 4.2 | 1.03 ~ 7.38 |
Pain · research results at a glance
4 studies
Knee osteoarthritis · soup pilot study
| Study and participants | Intake and observation | Findings and context |
|---|---|---|
| Davidson · 2024 24 adults aged 50 years or older with knee osteoarthritis |
Soup 300 mL · GLR 120 μmol Four days/week · once on intake days · 12 weeks | Improved knee pain observed in the broccoli soup groupFinding: After 12 weeks, the between group difference in pain reduction was 4.2 points on a 20 point scale. The estimated range was wide, from 1.03 to 7.38 points. Context: A peer review pending pilot trial with seven broccoli group participants among 24 total. |
Post exercise muscle soreness · two human trials
| Study and participants | Intake and observation | Findings and context |
|---|---|---|
| Cesanelli · 2026 15 participants |
Broccoli powder 10 g/day in hot water GLR 320 μg/dose (as stated in paper) Seven days before and four days after exercise (Methods) | A crossover trial of powder and placebo with 15 participantsFinding: The same participants took broccoli powder and placebo in turn, with no detected difference in muscle soreness or strength recovery. Context: The powder was mixed with hot water. Generated and absorbed sulforaphane was not measured. |
| Komine · 2021 16 young men who did not exercise regularly |
SGS precursor 30 mg/day · three tablets From two weeks before exercise through four days afterward | Reduced pressure tenderness two days after exerciseFinding: In a trial of 16 people, pain on muscle pressure decreased. Pain on elbow extension did not differ between groups. Context: A small trial without placebo. The 30 mg refers to the amount of precursor that can convert to sulforaphane. |
Pain after nerve injury · animal study
| Study and participants | Intake and observation | Findings and context |
|---|---|---|
| Ferreira-Chamorro · 2018 Mice with sciatic nerve injury |
Sulforaphane 10 mg/kg/day · intraperitoneal injection Days 14–28 after surgery · 15 days | Reduced sensitivity to stimuli after nerve injuryFinding: Excessive responses to touch, cold, and heat decreased in sulforaphane treated mice. Context: An experiment injecting sulforaphane into mice after nerve injury. |
Sources
- Davidson et al. 2024. medRxiv preprint.DOI 10.1101/2024.06.20.24309233
- Cesanelli et al. 2026. Nutrients. 18:710.DOI 10.3390/nu18040710
- Komine et al. 2021. Physiological reports. 9:e15130.DOI 10.14814/phy2.15130
- Ferreira-Chamorro et al. 2018. Frontiers in pharmacology. 9:1332.DOI 10.3389/fphar.2018.01332