Cruciferous Vegetables have Protective Effect
Eating cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, bok choy and other cruciferous vegetables may improve a women’s odds for breast cancer prevention and survival says a new study by the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center and Shanghai Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
“This study suggests that cruciferous vegetables and the bioactive compounds in them may be protective against breast cancer,” said Sarah Nechuta, a research fellow in the Vanderbilt Epidemiology Center in Nashville, Tennessee, and lead author of the study. Cruciferous vegetables contain phytochemicals known as isothiocyanates and indoles which appear to have a protective effect against some types of cancer.
The study investigated the role of cruciferous vegetables in breast cancer survival among 4,886 Chinese women who were diagnosed with breast cancer. The researchers found that women who consumed the most cruciferous vegetables were 62 percent less likely to die of breast cancer and 35 percent less likely to have a recurrence of the disease, compared with those who consumed the least.
List of Cruciferous Vegetables
Cruciferous vegetables are leafy greeen vegetables and derive their name from the Latin term Cruciferae which means “cross-bearing” from the shape of their flowers, whose four petals resemble a cross.
Here’s a list of Cruciferous vegetables:
| Cruciferous Vegetables |
| horseradish |
| land cress |
| kale |
| collard greens |
| cabbage |
| broccoli |
| cauliflower |
| brussel sprouts |
| kohlrabi |
| bok choy |
| mizuna |
| turnip |
| rutabaga |
| canola/rapeseed |
| mustard seed |
| arugula |
| radish |
| water cress |
| wasabi |
A note for those with thyroid problems, too high intake of crucifers can inhibit the incorporation of iodine into thyroid hormone and also the transfer of iodine into milk by the mammary gland. Cooking cruciferous vegetables for 30 minutes neutralizes the compound that inhibit iodine absorption by the thyroid gland.
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