Broccoli and Helicobacter Pylori: A Systematic Review

Objective Pharmacological treatment of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection is based on the use of at least two antibiotics with a double dose of proton pump inhibitor which results in antibiotic resistance. Anti-helicobacterial activity of sulforaphane-rich broccoli has been evaluated in laboratory studies. This study aimed to systematically review the conducted randomized clinical trials that have examined the effect of broccoli on H. pylori in humans.  Methods This study is a systematic review of randomized clinical trials on the effect of broccoli on H. pylori. The search was conducted in PubMed, OVID, Web of Science, and Scopus databases using the keywords: Helicobacter pylori, broccoli sprouts, H. pylori, randomized clinical trials, and Brassica, without any time limits for studies conducted until 2019. After excluding duplicates, the titles and abstracts of remained articles were evaluated by two researchers and then the related ones were extracted. Next, their full-texts were examined to select the final articles for review. We included clinical trials and excluded those were in the laboratory or animal testing phases or their full-texts were unavailable. Results Three studies that had met the inclusion criteria were considered for the review. Overall, neither in the articles that reviewed in the present study nor in the articles that did not enter the review process due to unavailability of their full-texts or having a very small sample size, no clear positive effect of broccoli on inhibiting H. pylori infection in humans had been reported. Conclusion Due to the lack of optimal results from broccoli consumption for the control of H. pylori infection in humans, it is recommended that longer studies with sufficient sample size and appropriate dose of broccoli along with standard treatment be performed in the future.