Broccoli vs Brussels sprouts: what the numbers separate

In a randomized crossover trial in 18 non-diabetic older adults with raised blood pressure, 300 g a day of soups made from cruciferous vegetables, broccoli among them, lowered glucose variability by 2.0 percentage points (95% CI 1.1 to 2.8) over 2 weeks compared with root and squash soups. It was a mixed soup in a small, short trial. No trial we found compares broccoli with Brussels sprouts directly, so the comparison rests on composition. Per 100 g raw, US samples give Brussels sprouts about twice the fiber of broccoli, 4.8 g against 2.4 g. They also give more vitamin C, 143 mg across 8 samples against 91 mg across 5, and both varied widely between samples. The UK tables show the same direction with smaller numbers, 115 mg against 79 mg, and give broccoli more vitamin K1, 185 against 153 micrograms.

How much is actually in it

• Raw Brussels sprouts averaged 143 mg vitamin C per 3.5 oz (100 g) across 8 USDA samples, against 91 mg in 5 samples of raw broccoli, and both varied widely between samples. — USDA Foundation Foods samples of raw broccoli (5) and raw Brussels sprouts (8) (n = 13) Evidence E source
  Brussels sprouts 142.9 mg (range 84.6 to 197.0) vs broccoli 91.3 mg (range 56.7 to 105.0) per 3.5 oz (100 g)
• Per 100 g raw, Brussels sprouts carry about twice the fiber of broccoli (4.8 g vs 2.4 g) and more protein (4.0 g vs 2.6 g) and folate (86 vs 65 micrograms) in USDA samples. — USDA Foundation Foods samples of raw broccoli and raw Brussels sprouts Evidence E source
  Fiber 4.785 vs 2.4 g, protein 3.98 vs 2.57 g, folate 86 vs 65 mcg per 3.5 oz (100 g) (sprouts vs broccoli)
• The UK food composition tables give a different picture for vitamin C, with 115 mg in raw Brussels sprouts and 79 mg in raw broccoli per 3.5 oz (100 g), while broccoli has more vitamin K1 (185 vs 153 micrograms). — CoFID 2021 entries 13-177 Brussels sprouts, raw and 13-502 Broccoli, green, raw Evidence E source
  Brussels sprouts 42 calories, vitamin C 115 mg, K1 153 mcg, folate 135 mcg vs broccoli 34 calories, vitamin C 79 mg, K1 185 mcg, folate 95 mcg per 3.5 oz (100 g)
• Raw broccoli averaged 102 micrograms of vitamin K per 3.5 oz (100 g) in 8 USDA samples, ranging from 77 to 136. — USDA Foundation Foods samples of raw broccoli (n = 8) Evidence E source
  Phylloquinone 102.0 mcg per 3.5 oz (100 g), range 76.6 to 136.0

What a real portion looks like

• A cup of either raw vegetable weighs 3.2 oz (90 g) in the US survey, one Brussels sprout is 20 g and a broccoli floret 10 g, and a cup of cooked sprouts is 155 g. — USDA FNDDS 2024-10-31 portions for Broccoli, raw (72201100), Brussels sprouts, raw (75102750) and Brussels sprouts, fresh, cooked, no added fat (75209011) Evidence E source
  Raw cup 90 g for both; sprout 20 g; floweret 10 g; cooked sprouts cup 155 g

What your body absorbs

• In a randomized crossover trial in 18 adults eating 7.1 oz (200 g) cooked broccoli daily for 15 days, uptake of sulforaphane metabolites rose with daily eating in people with BMI under 26 and fell in those above it. — 18 adults, balanced for BMI and GSTM1 genotype, controlled diet with or without 200 g cooked broccoli and 20 g daikon radish daily (n = 18) Evidence B source
  Direction of plasma AUC and urinary excretion change reversed at BMI 26 kg/m2
• In a phase I randomized trial of broccoli sprout extracts, about 18 to 20% of a glucosinolate dose was recovered in urine against 71% of a ready isothiocyanate dose, with no toxicities over 7 days. — healthy in-patient volunteers in three cohorts of three treated plus one placebo, 21 doses over 7 days (n = 12) Evidence B source
  Urinary dithiocarbamates 17.8% and 19.6% of glucosinolate dose vs 70.6% of isothiocyanate dose

What cooking and storage change

• Under the USDA retention table for vegetables, steaming keeps about 85% of vitamin C and folate, while boiling in water that is drained keeps 75% of vitamin C and 65% of folate. — USDA Table of Nutrient Retention Factors, Release 6, group Vegetables and Vegetable Products Evidence E source
  Steamed (3784): vitamin C 85%, folate 85% · boiled, water cover, drained (3775): vitamin C 75%, folate 65%
• The NIH notes that steaming or microwaving may lessen cooking losses of vitamin C. Evidence E source
  Heat and water reduce vitamin C

What it does to your health

• In a blinded crossover trial in 18 older adults with raised blood pressure, 300 g a day of cruciferous vegetable soups for 2 weeks cut glucose variability by 2 percentage points versus root and squash soups. — 18 non-diabetic adults with elevated blood pressure, median age 68, 89% women, two 2-week periods (n = 18) Evidence B source
  Glycemic variability -2.0% (95% CI -2.8 to -1.1), 2-hour postprandial glucose -2.5 mg/dL (95% CI -4.3 to -0.72; metric: -0.14 mmol/L, -0.24 to -0.04)
• Eating 7.1 oz (200 g) of cooked broccoli a day for 18 days shifted gut bacteria in 18 adults, lowering Firmicutes by 9% and raising Bacteroidetes by 10% versus a control diet. — 18 healthy adults, controlled feeding, two 18-day periods (n = 18) Evidence B source
  Firmicutes -9%, Bacteroidetes +10%, Bacteroides +8% relative abundance
• Observational data link higher broccoli intake with lower cancer risk, with a pooled relative risk of 0.89 across 12 cohorts and an odds ratio of 0.64 across 23 case-control studies. — 23 case-control studies (31,292 people) and 12 cohort studies (699,482 people) (n = 730774) Evidence C source
  Cohorts RR 0.89 (95% CI 0.82 to 0.96), case-control OR 0.64 (95% CI 0.58 to 0.70)
• Across 89 observational studies, the highest cruciferous vegetable intake was linked with 19% lower risk of gastrointestinal cancers, and high broccoli and cabbage intake with lower gastric cancer risk. — 81 articles covering 89 observational studies Evidence C source
  All GI cancers RR 0.81 (95% CI 0.76 to 0.87), gastric cancer with broccoli and cabbage RR 0.64 (95% CI 0.47 to 0.87)

Safety, limits and interactions

• Pooled diet trials found that cruciferous vegetables including broccoli and Brussels sprouts raised the drug-metabolizing enzyme CYP1A2 by 20 to 40%. — 23 dietary intervention trials in humans with drug metabolism end points Evidence C source
  CYP1A2 activity +20 to 40%, GST-alpha +15 to 35%
• Adding 18 oz (500 g) of broccoli a day for 12 days raised a caffeine-based marker of CYP1A2 activity by 19% in 16 healthy adults. — 16 healthy non-smokers (14 men, 2 women), 12-day broccoli period after a standard diet (n = 16) Evidence C source
  Caffeine metabolic ratio +19% (P < 0.0005), 2-hydroxyoestrone ratio +29.5%
• The NIH names broccoli among the most common sources of vitamin K in the US diet, relevant to anyone on warfarin. — US diet Evidence E source
  Broccoli listed with spinach, iceberg lettuce and soybean and canola oils

What people believe that the data does not support

• The EU rejected the claim that broccoli helps maintain a healthy immune system, and no broccoli or Brussels sprouts health claim is authorized in its register. — EU Register on nutrition and health claims Evidence E source
  Status non-authorized, 0 of 5 broccoli entries authorized, 0 Brussels sprouts entries
• People who taste the bitter compound PROP most strongly also found Brussels sprouts most bitter and least sweet, which predicted lower vegetable liking and intake in 110 adults. — 71 women and 39 men aged 18 to 60 tasting Brussels sprouts, kale and asparagus (n = 110) Evidence C source
  PROP bitterness explained variability in vegetable preference and intake via vegetable bitterness

Who this works differently for

• In a crossover trial of 300 g Brussels sprouts a day for 1 week, a urinary marker of oxidative DNA damage fell in 4 of 5 men and did not change in 5 women. — 10 non-smoking volunteers (5 men, 5 women), 1-week periods (n = 10) Evidence B source
  8-oxodG lower in 4 of 5 males, no effect in females
• Eating 11 oz (300 g) of cooked Brussels sprouts daily for a week raised plasma glutathione S-transferase alpha 1.5-fold in men but not in women, in a crossover trial of 10 adults. — 5 men and 5 women, non-smokers, 1-week periods (n = 10) Evidence B source
  Plasma GST class-alpha 1.5-fold in males (P = 0.031), no change in females (P = 0.317)
• In stably anticoagulated volunteers, 150 micrograms a day of vitamin K1 was the smallest dose that lowered INR, and meals of broccoli or spinach gave only short-lived responses. — healthy volunteers kept on individual oral anticoagulant doses for 13 weeks Evidence C source
  INR threshold 150 mcg/day K1, clinically relevant change in 25% at that dose

What is still unknown

• Replacing 11 oz (300 g) of other vegetables with 11 oz (300 g) of Brussels sprouts a day for 3 weeks did not raise HDL cholesterol in young men. — healthy non-smoking men aged 20 to 28, 3 weeks Evidence B source
  No significant change in apo A-I, apo A-II, HDL cholesterol or HDL phospholipids
• The NIH states that data on how well different forms of vitamin K from food are absorbed are very limited. Evidence E source
  Absorption from spinach 4% to 17% of a tablet

The bottom line

Brussels sprouts also carry more protein and folate in US samples, 4.0 g against 2.6 g of protein and 86 against 65 micrograms of folate per 3.5 oz (100 g). Broccoli folate ranged from 15 to 182 micrograms between samples. A cup of either raw vegetable weighs 3.2 oz (90 g) in the US survey, one sprout 20 g, one broccoli floret 10 g and a cup of cooked sprouts 155 g. The USDA retention table for vegetables keeps about 85 percent of vitamin C and folate after steaming. Boiling in water that is then drained keeps 75 percent of vitamin C and 65 percent of folate. These are group factors, not measured in broccoli or sprouts. The NIH notes that steaming or microwaving may lessen cooking losses. In a randomized crossover trial in 18 adults eating 7.1 oz (200 g) of cooked broccoli a day for 15 days, uptake of sulforaphane metabolites rose with daily eating in people with a BMI under 26 and fell in those above it. The trial measured blood and urine levels only. Eating 7.1 oz (200 g) of cooked broccoli a day for 18 days in 18 healthy adults lowered Firmicutes by 9 percent and raised Bacteroidetes by 10 percent of gut bacteria against a control diet, with no health outcome measured. Observational data link higher broccoli intake with lower cancer risk. Across 12 cohorts of 699,482 people the pooled RR was 0.89 (95% CI 0.82 to 0.96), and across 23 case-control studies the OR was 0.64 (95% CI 0.58 to 0.70). Case-control estimates are more prone to recall bias. Across 89 observational studies, the highest cruciferous vegetable intake was linked with 19 percent lower risk of gastrointestinal cancers. High broccoli and cabbage intake was linked with lower gastric cancer risk (RR 0.64, 95% CI 0.47 to 0.87). Brussels sprouts were tested in two tiny crossover trials of 10 adults eating 11 oz (300 g) a day for a week. A urinary marker of oxidative DNA damage fell in 4 of 5 men, rose sharply in the fifth and did not change in the 5 women. Plasma glutathione S-transferase alpha, an enzyme, rose 1.5-fold in men and did not change in women. Ten people and marker outcomes are too few to say whether men and women truly respond differently. Replacing 11 oz (300 g) of other vegetables with Brussels sprouts a day for 3 weeks did not significantly raise HDL cholesterol in young men. The EU rejected the claim that broccoli helps maintain a healthy immune system, and none of its 5 broccoli entries or any Brussels sprouts claim is authorized. A refused claim means the evidence was judged insufficient. In a tasting study of 110 adults, people who found the bitter compound PROP most bitter also found Brussels sprouts most bitter and least sweet. Who should be careful. If you take warfarin, vitamin K is the issue. The NIH names broccoli among the most common sources of vitamin K in the US diet, and raw broccoli averaged 102 micrograms per 3.5 oz (100 g) in 8 USDA samples, ranging from 77 to 136. In healthy volunteers kept on stable anticoagulant doses, 150 micrograms a day of vitamin K1 taken as a supplement was the smallest dose that lowered INR, and at that dose the change was clinically relevant in 25 percent of them. Meals of broccoli or spinach gave only short-lived responses. Those were volunteers, not patients. The NIH adds that data on how well food vitamin K is absorbed are very limited. Cruciferous vegetables raised the drug-metabolizing enzyme CYP1A2 by 20 to 40 percent in pooled diet trials, and the authors call the clinical significance unclear. Adding 18 oz (500 g) of broccoli a day for 12 days raised a caffeine-based marker of that enzyme by 19 percent in 16 adults. Broccoli sprout extracts caused no toxicities over 7 days in a phase I trial of 12 volunteers, a finding about extracts.

Sources

1. brbr-r2-01 · food composition dataset
   Broccoli, raw: Vitamin C, total ascorbic acid 91.3 MG, range 56.7-105.0, median 99.3, n=5 | Brussels sprouts, raw: Vitamin C, total ascorbic acid 142.9 MG, range 84.6-197.0, median 146.0, n=8
   USDA FoodData Central, Foundation Foods, release 2026-04-30 · checked 2026-09-30
2. brbr-r2-02 · food composition dataset
   Broccoli, raw: Fiber, total dietary 2.4 G, range 2.0-2.7, n=4; Protein 2.57 G, range 1.54-3.55; Folate, total 65.0 UG, range 15.0-182.0, n=8 | Brussels sprouts, raw: Fiber, total dietary 4.785 G, range 4.15-5.27, n=8; Protein 3.984375 G, range 3.1875-4.375; Folate, total 86.0 UG, range 48.0-140.0, n=8
   USDA FoodData Central, Foundation Foods, release 2026-04-30 · checked 2026-09-30
3. brbr-r2-03 · food composition dataset
   13-177 Brussels sprouts, raw: Energy 42 kcal; Folate 135 µg; Vitamin C 115 mg; Vitamin K1 153.00 µg; AOAC fibre 4.0 g | 13-502 Broccoli, green, raw: Energy 34 kcal; Folate 95 µg; Vitamin C 79 mg; Vitamin K1 185.00 µg
   CoFID 2021, Public Health England, OGL v3.0, codes 13-177 and 13-502 · checked 2026-09-30
4. brbr-r2-04 · food composition dataset
   Broccoli, raw: Vitamin K (phylloquinone) 102.0 UG, range 76.6-136.0, median 98.7, n=8
   USDA FoodData Central, Foundation Foods, release 2026-04-30 · checked 2026-09-30
5. brbr-r2-06 · food composition dataset
   Broccoli, raw fdc_id 2709643: 1 cup 90 g; 1 floweret 10 g | Brussels sprouts, raw fdc_id 2709772: 1 cup 90 g; 1 sprout 20 g | Brussels sprouts, fresh, cooked, no added fat fdc_id 2709881: 1 cup 155 g
   USDA FoodData Central, FNDDS survey foods release 2024-10-31 · checked 2026-09-30
6. brbr-r2-07 · randomized crossover trial
   Daily consumption of broccoli interacted with BMI but not GSTM1 genotype to affect plasma concentrations and urinary excretion of glucosinolate-derived compounds believed to confer protection against cancer.
   Br J Nutr, 2018 · checked 2026-09-30
7. brbr-r2-08 · randomized controlled trial
   No significant or consistent subjective or objective abnormal events (toxicities) associated with any of the sprout extract ingestions were observed.
   Nutr Cancer, 2006 · checked 2026-09-30
8. brbr-r2-05 · retention factor dataset
   USDA-RETN-R6:3784 VEG,OTHER,STEAMED: vitamin_c_mg 85%, folate_total_ug 85% | USDA-RETN-R6:3775 VEG,OTHER,BLD,WATER COVER,DRAINED: vitamin_c_mg 75%, folate_total_ug 65%
   USDA Table of Nutrient Retention Factors, Release 6 (2007), codes 3784 and 3775 · checked 2026-09-30
9. brbr-r2-21 · government fact sheet
   Steaming or microwaving may lessen cooking losses.
   NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, Vitamin C Fact Sheet for Health Professionals · checked 2026-09-30
10. brbr-r2-09 · randomized crossover trial
    Glycaemic variability was lower in the active versus control (mean difference: -2.0%, 95% CI -2.8, -1.1, p < 0.001).
    Diabetes Obes Metab, 2025 · checked 2026-09-30
11. brbr-r2-10 · randomized crossover trial
    Broccoli consumption decreased the relative abundance of Firmicutes by 9% compared to control (P=.05), increased the relative abundance of Bacteroidetes by 10% compared to control (P=.03) and increased Bacteroides by 8% relative to control (P=.02).
    J Nutr Biochem, 2019 · checked 2026-09-30
12. brbr-r2-11 · meta-analysis of observational studies
    The results suggest an inverse association between broccoli consumption and the risk of cancer both in case-control studies (OR: 0.64, 95% CI from 0.58 to 0.70, p < 0.001; Q = 35.97, p = 0.072, I2 = 30.49%-moderate heterogeneity; τ2 = 0.016) and cohort studies (RR: 0.89, 95% CI from 0.82 to 0.96, p = 0.003; Q = 13.51, p = 0.333, I2 = 11.21%-low heterogeneity; τ2 = 0.002).
    Nutrients, 2024 · checked 2026-09-30
13. brbr-r2-12 · meta-analysis of observational studies
    High intake of broccoli and cabbage was associated with a decreased risk of gastric cancer (RR: 0.64; 95% CI: 0.47-0.87) and gallbladder cancer (RR: 0.46; 95% CI: 0.29-0.75).
    Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr, 2024 · checked 2026-09-30
14. brbr-r2-17 · systematic review and meta-analysis
    The meta-analyses performed demonstrated a significant effect on CYP1A2 and glutathione S-transferase-alpha (GST-α), with consumption of Cruciferae increasing the activities of these enzymes by 20-40% and 15-35%, respectively.
    Clin Pharmacol Ther, 2020 · checked 2026-09-30
15. brbr-r2-18 · controlled clinical trial
    When shifting to diet C the mean CMR increased a further 19% (P < 0.0005).
    Carcinogenesis, 1996 · checked 2026-09-30
16. brbr-r2-19 · government fact sheet
    The most common sources of vitamin K in the U.S. diet are spinach; broccoli; iceberg lettuce; and fats and oils, particularly soybean and canola oil [5,7].
    NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, Vitamin K Fact Sheet for Health Professionals · checked 2026-09-30
17. brbr-r2-22 · regulatory decision
    POL-HC-6817 Brassica olaracea var italica (broccoli) Helps maintain a healthy immune system. Non-authorised
    EU Register on nutrition and health claims, claim POL-HC-6817, snapshot 2026-09-21 · checked 2026-09-30
18. brbr-r2-23 · taste study
    Those who taste PROP as most bitter also tasted the vegetables as most bitter and least sweet.
    Physiol Behav, 2006 · checked 2026-09-30
19. brbr-r2-13 · randomized crossover trial
    In four of five males a reduction in 8-oxodG was found, whereas in the fifth male the 8-oxodG excretion was high in the control period and was even much higher in the sprouts period.
    Cancer Lett, 1997 · checked 2026-09-30
20. brbr-r2-14 · randomized crossover trial
    At the end of the sprouts period, a significant increase (1.5-fold) in plasma class-alpha GST levels was observed in males but not in females (control versus sprouts, paired t-test; P-values 0.031 and 0.317 respectively), while plasma GST class-pi levels as well as secretion of urinary GST class-alpha and -pi levels remained unchanged.
    Carcinogenesis, 1995 · checked 2026-09-30
21. brbr-r2-16 · clinical dose-response study
    The short-lived response after meals of spinach and broccoli suggested an inefficient bioavailability from these 2 sources.
    Blood, 2004 · checked 2026-09-30
22. brbr-r2-15 · controlled dietary trial
    There were no significant increases in plasma apo A-I, apo A-II, HDL cholesterol, or HDL phospholipids.
    Am J Clin Nutr, 1996 · checked 2026-09-30
23. brbr-r2-20 · government fact sheet
    Data on the bioavailability of different forms of vitamin K from food are very limited [1].
    NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, Vitamin K Fact Sheet for Health Professionals · checked 2026-09-30