Few people know but these very common little-consumed vegetables help prevent cancer

Nutrition is essential for keeping our body healthy. In fact, eating well can help us keep away many diseases, even serious ones. As we explained in a previous article, a simple fruit can help us reduce cholesterol, triglycerides and blood sugar. This means that by consuming it we can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes.

Recent estimates estimate that about one third of cancer victims are largely linked to eating habits. This figure certainly makes us reflect and makes us understand how important it is to eat healthy. In fact, few people know it but these very common little-consumed vegetables help prevent cancer.

Many of us already know that eating fruit and vegetables is good for health. However, there is a class of vegetables that, according to recent studies, help prevent cancer.

Let’s find out what study we are talking about, how it was conducted and the results.

Few people know but these very common little-consumed vegetables help prevent cancer

This is what emerges from a study conducted by a team of scientists from Oregon State University. Scientists conducted a study of 391 Chinese adults exposed to high levels of air pollution.

These people drank a drink made from broccoli sprouts and other cruciferous vegetables in smaller percentages every day for 12 weeks. This drink provided a high amount of glucosinolates.

What are cruciferous vegetables?

Cruciferous or brassicaceous vegetables are vegetables belonging to the same family and which owe their name to the arrangement of their flowers. The petals of these flowers are 4 and arranged in a cross.

Vegetables belonging to this family are broccoli, Roman cabbage, cauliflower, turnips, turnip greens, radishes and Brussels sprouts.

These vegetables are unique in their kind because they are rich in glucosinolates. These are compounds derived from some amino acids. They are present in all organs of the plant, but especially in the vacuole.

According to recent studies, glucosinolates play an important role in cancer prevention. Let’s discover the study conducted on cruciferous vegetables.

The results

What emerges from the study is that glucosinolates protect cells from oxidative stress caused by excessive exposure to environmental pollutants. These can trigger tumors and degenerative disorders. Therefore, extracts of cruciferous vegetables can slow down the proliferation of cancer cells and prevent their formation.

However, we must keep in mind that the concentration and content of glucosinolates in these vegetables depend on the species. Additionally, they can vary with plant growth, storage, and processing methods.