By: W. Darren
Aside from the cabbage soup diet which can help people in their quick weight loss program, cabbage is well know for contributing to the battle against the big C or Cancer.
Cancer is one of the major causes of mortality all over the world. The rates are very high and no one is spared from this deadly disease. Experts say that cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, Brussel sprouts and cabbage can help in preventing cancer.
What’s in the Cabbage?
Cabbage and the other green leafy vegetables can help kill cancer cells. According to the Cancer Research Conference in Britain, Indole-3 –carbinol(I3C) could be a powerful cancer fighter used in combination with chemotherapy.
I3C in cruciferous vegetables were found to make the tumors of breast cancers surrender to chemotherapy. The study entailed feeding 300 to 400 mg of I3C to the tumor cells; as a result the cancer cells were more easily killed by chemotherapy drugs. The I3C binds to the cancer cells and promotes the production of enzymes which will detoxify the carcinogens. They are said to have effects on the estrogen metabolism making it potent in the fight against breast and prostate cancer cells. Due to this, researchers are now studying the possibilities of using I3C to intervene with conventional cancers.
A study in the Netherlands revealed subjects who consumed the most vegetables lowered their risk by 25 per cent in getting colorectal cancer. Those who specifically consumed cruciferous vegetables dropped their risk of getting colorectal cancer by a significant 49 %.
In Singapore, a study found that regular consumption of cruciferous vegetables like cabbage lowered the potential of lung cancer by 30% in non-smokers. Smokers who ate the same type of veggies dropped their risks by 60%. Other studies have shown that cabbages and similar vegetables can also help fight bladder cancer.
Phytochemicals known as glucosinolates is believed to be responsible for the cancer fighting ability of the cabbage. These chemicals are metabolized by our body into their anti carcinogen form known as isothiocyanates.
Animal and human studies have constantly revealed that diets high in cruciferous vegetables are linked with lower risks for cancer. They have shown the correlation between brassica or cruciferous vegetables and cancers. Cabbage consumption was associated with lower risk cancer particularly on the stomach, colon, and lung.
The benefits of cabbage and consumption of similar cruciferous vegetables are more prominent in the demographics of three groups prone to cancer: men, smokers, and older individuals who are sixty seven years old and above. Eating half a head of cabbage everyday will lower the risk of this group to cancer.
Organically grown cabbages are the best option if you want to make most of the anti-cancer benefits. A comparison to the conventionally grown cabbage revealed that they have a higher level of phytonutrients. Steaming method best retains the nutrients of this anti cancer vegetable.
We can lower our risk of getting cancer by living a healthy lifestyle. In addition we can make green leafy vegetables, especially cruciferous vegetables as part of our regular diet. This preventive measure is cheap compared to the expenses and pain that we have to deal with if cancer invades our body.
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