Many commonly consumed cruciferous vegetables including broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, collard greens, kale, kohlrabi, mustard, rutabaga turnips, bok choy and Chinese cabbage.
Cruciferous vegetables contain a variety of phytochemicals and nutrients that may have been anticancer activity.
The emphasis in phytochemicals in cruciferous vegetables was largely due to the pioneering work of Dr. Lee Wattenberg from the University of Minnesota, who was among the first to recognize the ways in which phytochemicals might protect against cancer.
In general, phytochemicals can
*Act as hormone-inhibiting substances that prevent the initiation of cancer
*Serve as antioxidants that prevent and repair damage to cells due to oxidation
*Block or neutralize enzymes that promote the development of cancer and other disease
*Modify the absorption, reduction or utilization of cholesterol
*Decrease formation of blood clots.
Cruciferous vegetables contain at least three phytochemicals that protect against a variety of cancers. One of these compounds is indole-3-carbinol (I3C), which is converted in the stomach to diindolylmethane (DIM) and other condensation products.
Phytochemicals in cruciferous vegetables
