Sulforaphane exhibits a hormetic effect by gearing up cellular protective mechanisms, but isolated consumption could be detrimental.

“So, for example, one pathway is called heat shock proteins, and, as their name would imply, one would go, "Oh, they're activated by heat." Well, correct. They are activated very robustly by heat. And we can talk about that. You can eat a plant like broccoli sprouts, which is high in something called sulforaphane. This is a compound that is sort of like a hormetic compound, or, as David Sinclair likes to say, it's a xenohormetic compound. I love that. I love that term. And it activates heat shock proteins among other things. It also activates a very powerful detoxification pathway called Nrf2, which helps you detoxify things like carcinogens that you're exposed to.”