Over seven years of research at Karolinska Institutet (KI) and the Swedish School of Sport and Health (GIH) in Stockholm,
Research conducted by globally leading scientists in nutrition and sports science
The group of scientists behind the research on isothiocyanates (ITC) was originally established at Karolinska Institutet. In 2009, Filip Larsen joined as an M.Sc. student, contributing to Jon and Eddie’s groundbreaking research on nitrate. Michaela Sundqvist joined the group as a PhD student in 2014.
After several years of collaboration, Filip transitioned to the Swedish School of Sport and Health Sciences (GIH), where his research has focused on exercise adaptations and muscle physiology in elite athletes. At GIH, Filip initiated the research on ITC and exercise adaptations, with the first study published in 2023. Michaela joined his research group as a postdoctoral fellow in 2021 and led the most recent study on the acute effects of ITC intake.
Filip Larsen
Research Originator
Docent, Institution of Physiology, Nutrition and Biomechanics
Swedish School of Sports and Health Sciences
Michaela Sundqvist
Researcher
Post-doc, Institution of Physiology, Nutrition and Biomechanics
Swedish School of Sports and Health Sciences
Jon Lundberg
Scientific Advisor
Professor of Pharmacology
Karolinska Institute
Eddie Weitzberg
Scientific Advisor
Professor of Anaesthesiology
Karolinska Institute
Clinical studies show ITC (isothiocyanates) improves physical performance
Benefits to exercise training adaptations by using ITC during periods of training overload
In a double-blinded cross-over study, the Nrf2-activating properties of ITC was shown to lead to greater training adaptations - meaning that participants who took ITC experienced faster performance improvements compared to placebo.
Headline results included a 12% reduction in blood lactate and a 10% decrease in oxidative stress compared to placebo. Read article
Acute lactate reduction 3 hours after a single dose of ITC
The latest study, published as a pre-print in 2025, investigated the acute effects of ITC and its dose-response relationship. The study showed that a single dose of ITC significantly reduced blood lactate during sub-maximal exercise, confirming previous research.
It was also found that the optimal ITC dose follows a U-shaped curve, with the most effective amount matching the ITC content in one nomio shot. Read article
Oxidative stress & nrf-2 activation
Reduced oxidative stress promotes improved performance
Within the research community it's long been established that isothiocyanates found in cruciferous vegetables interact with the body in a number of ways. A previously well-researched interaction was the activation of the nrf-2 system in the body - a regulator of antioxidative enzymes produced in the body.
The original research hypothesis was that this anti-oxidative effect would also be useful for people conducting intense exercise. It is well-established that antioxidants can protect muscles during intense exercise - therefore it wasn’t farfetched that oxidative stress would be decreased. In addition, due to the high bioavailability of isothiocyanates compared to other potential nrf2-activators (~75% vs 1-2%), the effect was hypothesized to be strong.
In the research papers now published by Filip Larsen, and other independent researchers, it's becoming more clear how isothiocyanates regulate oxidative stress.
Reduced blood lactate
Lower lactate as an indication of lower physical stress
If protection against oxidative stress was a key hypothesis for early studies on isothiocyanates, reduced lactate during sub-max workout was less expected. The isothiocyanates present in glucosinolate-rich broccoli sprouts show indications of reducing lactate by 12% on average in early studies conducted by Michaela Sundquist at GIH, during similar sub-max training tests.
Lactate is the primary proxy scientists and athletes alike use for measuring physiological stress achieved during exercise and correlates strongly to performance. By producing a lower amount of lactate, for a fixed training session, all else equal, the body will recover faster, allowing you to tolerate more training.
Today, many of our most famous endurance athletes use lactate daily as an indicator of what intensity they should train at. By having lactate spike only moderately during training, they can optimize the intensity of their training without risking overtraining or injuries.
further research
Other research on isothiocyanates, broccoli sprouts & cruciferous vegetables
The basic properties of isothiocyanates, and the positive effects associated with ingesting broccoli and broccoli sprouts has been well documented for over 30 years. In addition to the novel research done at KI and GIH on their impact on improvements of physical adaption to intense exercise, there are indications that ITC:
(1) Prevent muscle atrophy in aging
(2) Protect against liver damage from alcohol consumption
(3) Detoxification of airborne pollutants (smog) in city dwellers
Many of today's studies on isothiocyanates refer to Sulforaphane, the most well-known strain of the group. nomio's I-6 contains a wide variety of isothiocyanate strains, with many less known varieties that we can only hope to know more about in the future.
Most important publications
- Sulforaphane & Exercise Protect Against Alcohol-Related Liver Damage
- Sulforaphane Reduces Liver Injury from Intense Exercise
- Chronic Sulforaphane Use Reduces Inflammation After Resistance Training
- Sulforaphane Supplement Eases Muscle Soreness Post-Exercise
- Nrf2 Activation Boosts Exercise Endurance via Muscle Redox Modulation
- Sulforaphane Protects Muscles from Exercise-Induced Damage
- Sulforaphane Prevents Age-Related Muscle Decline via Nrf2
- Broccoli Sprouts Help Detox Benzene Exposure in Humans
- Broccoli Sprout Extracts Studied in Recurrent Prostate Cancer