“Folate is found in high amounts in dark leafy green vegetables, orange juice, fortified grains and cereals, and vitamin supplements (in the form of folic acid). Harvard researchers have linked low blood levels of folate with an increased risk of colon cancer and a high intake of folate (either from food or multivitamins) with a lower risk. Eating foods rich in folate, like dark leafy green vegetables, can help ensure you are getting enough folate in your diet. “Harvard researchers have found that diets rich in fruits and vegetables may also reduce the risk of stroke. Studying nearly 80,000 women and 40,000 men, the researchers found that people who ate five servings of fruits and vegetables every day had a 30 percent lower risk of ischemic stroke. Cruciferous vegetables (like broccoli), green, leafy vegetables (like spinach), and citrus fruits and juices seemed to provide the greatest benefit. Ischemic stroke is by far the most common type of stroke and, like coronary heart disease, is caused by the blockage of blood vessels.” Full article: “Cruciferous vegetables include cauliflower, cabbage, broccoli, and Brussels sprouts. The word cruciferous refers to a cross-shaped pattern found on the underside of the central stalk or core of these vegetables. Consuming cruciferous vegetables has been associated with a decreased risk of colon, breast and prostate cancer. The specific compounds in these vegetables that are thought to be of value are indoles. Indoles belong to a class of phytonutrients which have been scientifically shown to benefit the body in a number of important ways…. Isoflavones found in some cruciferous vegetables have some extraordinary health benefits. In particular, they have the ability to act as a phytoestrogens to protect against the development of hormonally linked cancers.” Full article: “Men who ate three or more servings of cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, cabbage) per week had a 41 per cent lower risk of developing prostate cancer than did men who ate less than one serving a week…. Men who ate three or more servings of vegetables per day had a 48 percent lower risk of prostate cancer compared to those who ate less, according to researchers at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. Cruciferous vegetables such as cauliflower, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, sauerkraut, and coleslaw possessed the strongest risk-reducing effect. It is believed that the array of phytochemicals in vegetables activate enzymes that help weaken cancer-causing agents in the body.” Full Article: Cruciferous Vegetables The National Cancer Institute has linked the cruciferous vegetables to a reduced risk of colon cancer and protective effects against cancer of the lung, esophagus, larynx, rectum, colon, lung, stomach, prostate, and bladder. Cruciferous vegetables contain such potential cancer-preventing or cancer-inhibiting substances as aromatic isothiocyanates (benzyl isothiocyanate, phenethyl isothiocyanate), glucosinolates (glucobrassin, glucotropaeolin), flavones, indoles, and phenols. Some of these phytochemicals stop carcinogens before they have a chance to alter DNA structure. Others slow the development or spread of cancerous cells or stimulate the release of anticancer enzymes. Indoles increase the detoxification of estrogen, reducing that hormone's chance of enhancing cancer growth in hormone-sensitive cells.” Full Article: “Dark green veggies can be bitter and seem to turn some people off. (And, after all, cruciferous is an awfully strange word.) But those are exactly the types of vegetables and leafy greens you need to be eating, like broccoli, cauliflower, kale, spinach, and Brussels sprouts. These foods are rich in phyto- (or plant-based) nutrients…. "My view is that we shouldn't discourage people from eating the fruits and vegetables they are already eating, but we need to get them to eat the dark green ones also," says Carol Johnston, Arizona State University East professor of nutrition and lead author of the study that appeared in Nutritional Epidemiology. Johnston also says the government needs to be more specific in its guidelines. "The government has done a great job with its 'Five A Day' program but it doesn't give the public enough information," she says, adding that it needs to promote the consumption of dark green and cruciferous vegetables…. "Just putting in a food category of fruit and vegetables isn't enough. The pyramid should have a leafy green group," Johnston says. Full Article: “The cruciferous vegetables help to lower cholesterol and maintain healthy immune systems.” Full Article: |
