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Another reason why sprouts (and other green veggies) shouldn’t just be for Christmas
Writing in the journal Food Chemistry, Canadian researchers agree that extracts from cruciferous, dark green and Allium vegetables show the highest anti-cancer potential. The cruciferous vegetables include broccoli, kale, watercress and spinach and cabbages such as Brussels' Sprouts. The Allium vegetables include onions and garlic.
Researcher's evaluated how extracts from 34 vegetables may inhibit the growth of eight different tumour cell lines (stomach, lung, breast, kidney, skin, pancreas, prostate, and brain) in the laboratory. Significant inhibition of all the cancer cell tested was observed for the extracts from cruciferous and Allium vegetables. The effect of the vegetables was specific to cells of cancerous origin and was found to be largely independent of their antioxidant properties. Boivin, one of the lead researchers, explains: "These chemopreventive effects are likely related to the formation of organosulfur compounds following mechanical disruption of these vegetables, namely isothiocyanates from cruciferous and a series of allyl sulfur molecules from Allium vegetables". In other words, when these vegetables are broken down during the process of preparing, chewing and digesting them, a number of beneficial chemicals are formed that appear to help prevent the formation of, and inhibit the proliferation of, cancer cells.
On the other hand, vegetables such as potato, carrot, tomato and lettuce, were generally ineffective at providing cancer protection, said the researchers. These vegetables however are far more widely consumed than the green leafy vegetables.
Everyone should aim to eat to eat at least 400mg of fruit and vegetables daily; this amounts to about 5-6 portions daily. Try to incorporate the cruciferous and Allium vegetables into your daily diet; steamed cabbage, seasoned and buttered, is a great accompaniment to meat or fish, try pak choi (Chinese cabbage) in oriental dishes or added to miso soup, broccoli is very versatile and works in stir fries, soups and as a side dish, spinach is delicious in Indian and Italian dishes, and watercress is a far more flavoursome salad base than lettuce.
Click here to view the study abstract. |