A chemical found in broccoli could be the key to treating autism

A chemical found in broccoli could be the key to treating autism
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A preliminary study by researchers at Johns Hopkins University has found a surprising source of hope for the treatment of autism: broccoli. The quintessential good-for-you vegetable might be adding a new health benefit to its résumé because it contains the chemical glucoraphanin.

Glucoraphanin itself isn't the chemical that could help treat autism, which is one of the most difficult disorders to treat because its symptoms are varied and its causes mysterious. Instead, the key is a chemical called sulforaphane, which isn't actually present in broccoli — but which is produced after the body's bacteria interact with broccoli's glucoraphanin.

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Kimberly Alters

Kimberly Alters is the news editor at TheWeek.com. She is a graduate of the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University.