By Lianna Albrizio, Assistant Editor08.29.22
There are many inventive ways to enjoy a fresh head of broccoli. The crunchy, leafy-green veggie is rich in vitamins A, C, K and folate and has become a vital anti-inflammatory staple to weave into one’s weekly meal plan.
Its thick stalks, flowering heads and leaves classified into the cabbage family as Brassica oleracea have been chopped into miniature trees tossed in melted cheddar to serve as a tasty side dish to a steak dinner or the star ingredient in a savory stir-fry. Consumption of broccoli carries many beauty, brain, and body benefits. These include supporting immune, bone, heart, and skin health, as well as tissue growth and cell function.
The researchers gave one group a cocktail of dissolved freeze-dried broccoli sprout powder, sterilized water, pineapple, and lime juices. The control group was given the mixture without the powder. Results were published in the journal Cancer Prevention Research.
After both groups underwent blood and urine tests, scientists determined that the group whose drink contained the broccoli sprout mixture experienced increased excretion rates of benzene (a known human carcinogen by which one’s long-term exposure to high levels in the air can lead to leukemia) and acrolein (a colorless irritant used in organic synthesis produced by cigarette smoking) by 61% and 23%, respectively, compared to the control group.
The cruciferous vegetable is a source of glucoraphanin, which creates a compound called sulforaphane when ingested that speeds up the body’s ability to detoxify from pollutants. According to Healthline, sulforaphane also neutralizes free radicals in the body that can cause cancer and serves as a protective barrier against sun damage.
What’s more, the active compound can also work to preserve skin health; research has shown reduction in the number of skin cells destroyed by UV light by 29%, with protection lasting up to two days, according to Healthline.
In keeping with the concept of powder-form sprouts in its highest potency, the partners developed a shot in which the powder is dispensed via a dosing cap within miniature green-colored plastic bottles. (Consumers will know it has dispensed into the filtered water when they hear a distinct thump when pushing down on the cap.)
The shots can be refrigerated or taken room temperature based on consumer preference. The bottle then gets a good shake before twisting off the cap and throwing the
contents back.
The name? Simply put: Broc Shot. The namesake wellness brand started in 2017 in Sydney years after Silver helped introduce coconut water through the distribution rights for Zico Beverages in Australia and New Zealand circa 2008. Broc Shot launched in the U.S. in Los Angeles this past May purporting to be the world’s first broccoli sprout shot.
“Most products on the market are extracts, which lack the active enzyme to effectively produce sulforaphane, or they add synthetic sulforaphane,” said Walker, the previous vice president of global communications for Kiehl’s. “We make no compromises in our formula to ensure you will see and feel benefits in days, not weeks, not months—days—guaranteed.”
Broccoli sprouts, according to the company, yield the highest amount of sulforaphane than any other vegetable—somewhere between 50 and 100 times more than mature broccoli—and are most potent in powder form.
In contrast to existing sulforaphane supplements on the market, Broc Shot boasts being made of 100% pure whole broccoli sprout powder to yield 15 mg of 100% natural sulforaphane equivalent to 10 pounds of raw broccoli. According to Dr. Tom Karagiannis, head of epigenomic medicine at the University of Melbourne, sulforaphane offers a slew of personalized wellness benefits in a daily dose.
“It doesn’t just destroy free radicals, it switches on 200-plus protective genes, biohacking the body to activate its own natural antioxidant defense system and giving your body exactly what it needs.”
Sulforaphane can also help maintain collagen levels in the skin. Collagen is the main structural protein found in skin and other connective tissues responsible for giving skin its bouncy, youthful appearance. Factors like older age and environmental stress from overexposure to UV light can expedite collagen loss, leading to premature aging like sagging skin and wrinkle formation.
Ingestible collagen supplements in powder form, such as Natural Marine Collagen by fellow Australia-based ingestible beauty brand Vida Glow, which is mixed into water and consumed daily, also works to preserve existing levels of collagen and combat early signs of aging to keep skin glowing, plump, and youthful from the inside out.
In a consumer perception study conducted by Broc Shot that involved 50 subjects between the ages of 18 and 70, 84% said their skin looked more luminous, 77% saw clearer-looking skin, and 73% saw younger-looking skin.
Broc Shot also had considerable effects on brain and gut health; 77% of subjects said they felt more regular and less bloated, while as many as 81% said they felt less fatigue. Meanwhile, 70% experienced better sleep quality. Broc Shot also provided a mental boost. As many as 75% felt more focused, 73% felt increased alertness, and 60% said their memory was sharper.
These statistics increased to nearly 100% across the board at the one-month mark with the exception of improved sleep quality and sharper memory, which remained lower at 72%.
In a partnership with TerraCycle, a global recycling solution, Broc Shot has a recycling program that converts used bottles into playground equipment and school desks. To enforce these recycling efforts, each order includes a prepaid shipping label to ensure minimal effort and cost to recycle the packaging to keep the empty bottles—which are BPA- and phthalate-free—out of waterways and landfills.
Its thick stalks, flowering heads and leaves classified into the cabbage family as Brassica oleracea have been chopped into miniature trees tossed in melted cheddar to serve as a tasty side dish to a steak dinner or the star ingredient in a savory stir-fry. Consumption of broccoli carries many beauty, brain, and body benefits. These include supporting immune, bone, heart, and skin health, as well as tissue growth and cell function.
Broccoli Sprouts Proven To Detoxify Pollutants
In the past decade, broccoli sprouts have been imbibed to detoxify bodily pollutants. In 2014, 300 Chinese inhabitants living in Jiangsu Province, a rural community in China with heavy air pollution, participated in a study conducted by scientists at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.The researchers gave one group a cocktail of dissolved freeze-dried broccoli sprout powder, sterilized water, pineapple, and lime juices. The control group was given the mixture without the powder. Results were published in the journal Cancer Prevention Research.
After both groups underwent blood and urine tests, scientists determined that the group whose drink contained the broccoli sprout mixture experienced increased excretion rates of benzene (a known human carcinogen by which one’s long-term exposure to high levels in the air can lead to leukemia) and acrolein (a colorless irritant used in organic synthesis produced by cigarette smoking) by 61% and 23%, respectively, compared to the control group.
The cruciferous vegetable is a source of glucoraphanin, which creates a compound called sulforaphane when ingested that speeds up the body’s ability to detoxify from pollutants. According to Healthline, sulforaphane also neutralizes free radicals in the body that can cause cancer and serves as a protective barrier against sun damage.
What’s more, the active compound can also work to preserve skin health; research has shown reduction in the number of skin cells destroyed by UV light by 29%, with protection lasting up to two days, according to Healthline.
The Birth of Broc Shot
Piggybacking on the success of the Chinese study, entrepreneurs Benjamin Silver and Gracia Walker teamed up five years ago to continue the idea of swigging this powerhouse antioxidant to reap all its health benefits fast while sidestepping the pungent taste.In keeping with the concept of powder-form sprouts in its highest potency, the partners developed a shot in which the powder is dispensed via a dosing cap within miniature green-colored plastic bottles. (Consumers will know it has dispensed into the filtered water when they hear a distinct thump when pushing down on the cap.)
The shots can be refrigerated or taken room temperature based on consumer preference. The bottle then gets a good shake before twisting off the cap and throwing the
contents back.
The name? Simply put: Broc Shot. The namesake wellness brand started in 2017 in Sydney years after Silver helped introduce coconut water through the distribution rights for Zico Beverages in Australia and New Zealand circa 2008. Broc Shot launched in the U.S. in Los Angeles this past May purporting to be the world’s first broccoli sprout shot.
“Most products on the market are extracts, which lack the active enzyme to effectively produce sulforaphane, or they add synthetic sulforaphane,” said Walker, the previous vice president of global communications for Kiehl’s. “We make no compromises in our formula to ensure you will see and feel benefits in days, not weeks, not months—days—guaranteed.”
Broccoli sprouts, according to the company, yield the highest amount of sulforaphane than any other vegetable—somewhere between 50 and 100 times more than mature broccoli—and are most potent in powder form.
In contrast to existing sulforaphane supplements on the market, Broc Shot boasts being made of 100% pure whole broccoli sprout powder to yield 15 mg of 100% natural sulforaphane equivalent to 10 pounds of raw broccoli. According to Dr. Tom Karagiannis, head of epigenomic medicine at the University of Melbourne, sulforaphane offers a slew of personalized wellness benefits in a daily dose.
“It doesn’t just destroy free radicals, it switches on 200-plus protective genes, biohacking the body to activate its own natural antioxidant defense system and giving your body exactly what it needs.”
Beauty, Brain, and Body Benefits
Sulforaphane not only carries anti-aging benefits and detoxifying properties, but also stabilizes and strengthens the gut barrier to enhance immunity and normalize bowels. It also improves and supports brain function, clearing the mind and increasing alertness, according to the company.Sulforaphane can also help maintain collagen levels in the skin. Collagen is the main structural protein found in skin and other connective tissues responsible for giving skin its bouncy, youthful appearance. Factors like older age and environmental stress from overexposure to UV light can expedite collagen loss, leading to premature aging like sagging skin and wrinkle formation.
Ingestible collagen supplements in powder form, such as Natural Marine Collagen by fellow Australia-based ingestible beauty brand Vida Glow, which is mixed into water and consumed daily, also works to preserve existing levels of collagen and combat early signs of aging to keep skin glowing, plump, and youthful from the inside out.
In a consumer perception study conducted by Broc Shot that involved 50 subjects between the ages of 18 and 70, 84% said their skin looked more luminous, 77% saw clearer-looking skin, and 73% saw younger-looking skin.
Broc Shot also had considerable effects on brain and gut health; 77% of subjects said they felt more regular and less bloated, while as many as 81% said they felt less fatigue. Meanwhile, 70% experienced better sleep quality. Broc Shot also provided a mental boost. As many as 75% felt more focused, 73% felt increased alertness, and 60% said their memory was sharper.
These statistics increased to nearly 100% across the board at the one-month mark with the exception of improved sleep quality and sharper memory, which remained lower at 72%.
Recycling Program
Broc Shot is available in Original, Pineapple and Mint, and Ginger and Lime varieties exclusively on BrocShot.com and retails for $49.99 for a 10-pack; $4.99 for a single shot; and $134 for a month’s supply. But after use, the brand wants its bottles back.In a partnership with TerraCycle, a global recycling solution, Broc Shot has a recycling program that converts used bottles into playground equipment and school desks. To enforce these recycling efforts, each order includes a prepaid shipping label to ensure minimal effort and cost to recycle the packaging to keep the empty bottles—which are BPA- and phthalate-free—out of waterways and landfills.
