"Too many carbs make you fat, and too few make you tired. What�s the answer? Rotation." - Steve Stiefel, Men's Fitness April, 2001
Read how we implement this principle in our Low Carb -- Low Fat Rotation Diet
Cabbage Soup Diet: Research Shows Health Benefits of Cabbage
by Tanya Zilberter, PhD
Several clinical studies have found cabbage to be effective in warding off diseases, specifically, cancer:
In their article "Vegetables, Fruit and Phytoestrogens as Preventive Agents, " Drs. Potter and Steinmetz from Cancer Prevention Research Program, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, Washington, reviewed 205studies and, based on the evidence provided in these studies, included cruciferous vegetables (of which cabbage is a member) into the list of foods containing preventive phytoestrogens. They wrote:
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"The practice of medicine-- past and present -- often involves the
prescription of specific foods(almost always plants) or their potent
derivatives, to treat a wide spectrum of illnesses. Foods that have
been ascribed healing properties include the cruciferae (cabbage), the
allium family, celery, cucumber, endive, parsley ,radish and
legumes."(1)
Scientists from the Cancer Research Laboratory, University of Auckland, New Zealand, investigated the role of micronutrients in healthy nutrition and concluded that some micronutrients that seemed to play a protective role in cancer are beta-carotene, vitamin E and vitamin C. In addition to those chemicals with an established role in nutrition, there is also a less well-defined group of chemicals, often referred to as phytochemicals, which may prove even more important. Examples here are a group of sulphur-containing chemicals present in brassicaceous vegetables, such as broccoli and cabbage, that appear to be very effective anticarcinogens.(2)
In the Department of Nutrition and Food Studies, New York University, researchers aimed to identify specific phytochemicals in Brassica vegetables, such as sulforaphane in broccoli that may confer protection against cancer.(3)
In China (Department of Epidemiology, Harbin Medical College, Heilongjiang), consumption of cabbage was found to protect against brain tumor development. Consumption of fresh vegetables-- specifically that of Chinese cabbage and onion -- fruit, fresh fish and poultry was inversely related to the risk of developing brain cancer. (4)
One of the most impressive results came from the Netherlands Organization for Applied Scientific Research, Nutrition and Food Research Institute. The results of 94 studies showed that with an increase in the consumption of cabbage, cauliflower and broccoli, the risk of many types of cancer decreased.(5)
Not Just Cancer
Studies conducted by the Department of Applied Biological Science, Tokyo Noko University, concluded that cabbage is also good for keeping cholesterol levels low. Cabbage was found to contain S-methyl-L-cysteine sulfoxide, which suppresses hypercholesterolemia by upregulating cholesterol catabolism. (6)
References
1. IARC Scientific Publications (Lyon). (139):61-90, 1996.
2. Biomedicine & Pharmacotherapy. 51(8):337-44, 1997.
3. Nutrition Reviews. 56(4 Pt 1):127-30, 1998 Apr.
4. International Journal of Cancer. 81(1):20-3, 1999 Mar 31.
5. Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention. 5(9):733-48, 1996
6. International Journal of Cancer. Suppl 10:7-9, 1997.
