Cruciferous Vegetable the Cancer Protection

 

With the growing popularity of nutritional supplements, more and more people are looking for accurate information about the nutrients that can make a real difference in their health and longevity. The reality is, however, that the most powerful thing you can do to improve your health is to eat more green vegetables, in which cruciferous vegetable is vital to a healthy living.

The cruciferous vegetables belong to the family of plants known as Brassicaceae. Their name, cruciferous, is derived from the arrangement of the four petals of their flower, like the cross. 

The following are the vegetables in this group that are commonly found in this country, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflowers, watercress, kale and Brussels sprouts. All these vegetable are rich in vitamins like Vitamins C, K, B2, B6 and folic acid; with minerals like potassium, magnesium and potent antioxidant selenium

At the recent American Association for Cancer Research annual meeting, new evidence highlighted the importance of cruciferous vegetables for breast cancer protection.

The cruciferous family is unique among vegetables because of their glucosinolate content – glucosinolates give cruciferous vegetables their characteristic spicy or bitter tastes; when the plant cell walls are broken by blending, chopping, or chewing, an enzyme called myrosinase converts glucosinolates to isothiocyanates (ITCs) – compounds with potent anti-cancer effects

Cruciferous vegetables are loaded with a high concentration of soluble fiber does actually reduce the risk of breast cancer in those who consume them regularly. Soluble fiber makes it possible to easily eliminate all pollutants from the body system.

Cruciferous vegetable can be eaten raw but if is difficult to eat it can be steamed lightly before eating.

Eating cruciferous vegetables produces measurable isothiocyanates in breast tissue, and observational studies show that women who eat more cruciferous vegetables are less likely to be diagnosed with breast cancer:

In a recent Chinese study, women who regularly ate one serving per day of cruciferous vegetables had a 50% reduced risk of breast cancer.  A 17% decrease in breast cancer risk was found in a European study for consuming cruciferous vegetables at least once a week.

Close to 300 case-controlled studies have shown a protective effect of vegetable consumption against cancer, and cruciferous vegetables have the most powerful anticancer effects of all foods. Studies have shown that eating fresh fruits, beans, vegetables, seeds, and nuts reduces the occurrence of cancer. If consumption of plant food intake goes up 20% in a population, cancer rates typically drop 20%. But cruciferous vegetables have been shown to be twice as effective. As cruciferous vegetable intake goes up 20% in a population, cancer rates drop 40%.