Dietary intake of sulforaphane-rich broccoli sprout has prophylactic effects on inflammation-related depressive symptoms in mice.

Mounting evidence suggests that nutrition plays a huge role in depression by affecting levels of systemic inflammation. Inflammatory molecules and cytokines are able to have these sort of effects is because they are able to cross over the blood-brain-barrier and disrupt neurotransmitter production and release. Sulforaphane, which is high in broccoli sprouts, has been shown to lower biomarkers of inflammation including CRP and IL-6 by as much as 20% in humans.