Does eating broccoli or broccoli sprouts interact with omeprazole or reduce its effectiveness?

Eating broccoli or broccoli sprouts is not known to directly interact with omeprazole or reduce its effectiveness, based on current official product information and human studies. Omeprazole’s consumer labeling highlights interactions with certain prescription drugs and specific herbal products (for example, St. John’s wort), but it does not list broccoli or broccoli sprouts as interacting agents. ^[1] Omeprazole labeling advises caution with antibiotics like clarithromycin or amoxicillin, clopidogrel, methotrexate, St. John’s wort, and rifampin, without mentioning cruciferous vegetables or sulforaphane-rich foods. ^[2] Multiple omeprazole labels consistently emphasize these same interacting medicines, again with no reference to broccoli or its sprouts. ^{[3] [4] [5] [6]}

What omeprazole interacts with

• Omeprazole can alter the absorption or metabolism of some drugs, especially those highly dependent on certain liver enzymes (notably CYP2C subfamily), but it shows limited interaction with many others. ^[7] Omeprazole’s labeling focuses on interactions with a small set of drugs and specific herbal products; broccoli is not among them. ^{[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6]}

Broccoli, sprouts, and sulforaphane

• Broccoli sprouts are rich in sulforaphane (an isothiocyanate) formed from glucoraphanin by the enzyme myrosinase. ^[8] In humans, consuming fresh broccoli sprouts can deliver sulforaphane more effectively than certain supplements lacking myrosinase. ^[9] Combining sprouts with glucoraphanin-rich powders can further enhance sulforaphane absorption. ^[8] These nutrition findings are about bioavailability of plant compounds and do not show a reduction in omeprazole efficacy. ^{[8] [9]}

Proton pump inhibitors and broccoli sprouts in H. pylori

• Sulforaphane-rich broccoli sprouts have been studied for their ability to lower Helicobacter pylori colonization and inflammation, which may support stomach health. ^[10] This effect is independent of omeprazole’s acid-suppressing action and does not indicate an adverse interaction or reduced effectiveness of omeprazole. ^[10]

PXR/CYP3A4 considerations

• A human study tested whether sulforaphane counters rifampin’s activation of the pregnane X receptor (PXR), which governs CYP3A4 induction; sulforaphane did not meaningfully antagonize PXR in vivo in people. ^[11] This suggests typical dietary sulforaphane intake is unlikely to cause clinically relevant alterations in drug metabolism via this pathway, which is consistent with the absence of an omeprazole–broccoli interaction signal. ^[11]

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Practical guidance

• You can generally eat broccoli and broccoli sprouts while taking omeprazole. Broccoli foods are not listed among known interactions in official omeprazole labeling. ^{[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6]}
• If you take medications that are known to interact with omeprazole (for example, clopidogrel, methotrexate, certain antibiotics, St. John’s wort, rifampin), follow prescriber guidance and timing instructions carefully. ^{[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6]}
• For stomach conditions such as H. pylori, broccoli sprouts may complement medical therapy by modestly reducing colonization and inflammation, but they do not replace prescribed treatment plans. ^[10]

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Quick comparison table

Topic	What the evidence says	Relevance to omeprazole
Broccoli/sprouts listed in omeprazole interactions	Not listed in consumer labeling	No expected interaction or reduction in efficacy [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6]
Omeprazole’s main interaction mechanisms	Limited CYP2C inhibition; specified drug/herbal interactions	Broccoli foods not implicated [7] [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6]
Sulforaphane effects from sprouts	Improves bioavailability with fresh sprouts; supports gastric health	No evidence of reducing omeprazole’s acid suppression [8] [9] [10]
Sulforaphane and PXR/CYP3A4 in humans	Not an effective PXR antagonist in vivo	Unlikely to alter omeprazole effectiveness via this route [11]

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Bottom line

Current official product information and human studies do not show that eating broccoli or broccoli sprouts interacts with omeprazole or reduces its effectiveness. ^{[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6]} Omeprazole’s known interactions primarily involve specific prescription drugs and certain herbal products, not common foods like cruciferous vegetables. ^[7] If you have complex medication regimens, it’s still reasonable to review all medicines and supplements with your clinician, but routine broccoli consumption appears compatible with omeprazole. ^{[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7]}