Various reports indicate that severity of asthma or COPD is associated with impaired Nrf2 activation and function, due to chronic oxidative stress or post-translational modification of Nrf2 [63-65], and chemical activators of Nrf2, such as food-derived electrophilic compounds (e.g. sulforaphane, curcumin), are thought to have therapeutic benefit [39]. This evidence concerns the gene NFE2L2 and asthma.