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Plant Source Foods
Published in Chuong Pham-Huy, Bruno Pham Huy, Food and Lifestyle in Health and Disease, 2022
Chuong Pham-Huy, Bruno Pham Huy
Cabbage and kale are two closely cruciferous vegetables and belong to the same species Brassica oleracea of the Brassicaceae or Cruciferae family (order Brassicales), but not the same variety. Cabbage belongs to the variety ‘capitate’, while kale belongs to ‘acephala’ (128). Cruciferous vegetables of this family include several important vegetable crops such as cabbage, kale, broccoli, radish, horseradish, rocket, watercress, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, Kai Lan, Chinese cabbage, and more (128–129). Cabbage leaves form a head and have different colors (white, green, red, or purple); while the central leaves of kale do not form a head (128). Cabbage and kale are rich in glucosinolates (128–129). Glucosinolates are a group of sulfur- and nitrogen-containing glycosides found in the plant order Brassicales. They are considered the stronghold in the plant defense system as they can deter pest and pathogen attacks (128–129). Unlike most defense compounds of the plant, glucosinolates are not toxic per se (129). For human health, glucosinolates have been associated with many beneficial effects against cancer, diabetes, heart diseases, obesity, bacteria, and fungi, as well as antioxidant and antimutagenic properties (129). Cabbage and kale are also rich in fibers, vitamins, and minerals.
Components of Nutrition
Published in Christopher Cumo, Ancestral Diets and Nutrition, 2020
A second category, phytoestrogens, includes isoflavones, which appear to protect the body against heart disease, osteoporosis, and some cancers. Soybeans have the isoflavones genistein and daidzein, which may partly explain lower chronic-disease rates among East Asian than among Americans and Europeans. Another type of phytoestrogen, lignan, may offer comparable benefits and is numerous in flaxseeds (Linum usitatissimum). A third class of phytochemicals, phytosterols, resembles cholesterol and appears to lower it in blood. Soybean oil contains phytosterols, another factor that may help explain East Asians’ health. Fourth, glucosinolates may reduce damage from carcinogens and toxins by speeding their excretion, though clinical trials have yet to confirm this effect. Research focuses on glucosinolates sinigrin and progoitrin in hopes of evaluating their promise. These compounds are abundant in crucifers (also known as cole crops): broccoli, cauliflower, turnip (Brassica rapa ssp. rapa), kale, Brussels sprouts, garden cress (Lepidium sativum), bok choy (Brassica rapa ssp. chinensis), cabbage, and related plants. Fifth, the carotenoids include some 600 chemicals, notably vitamin A precursor beta carotene.87
Nutraceuticals’ Role in Proliferation and Prevention of Breast Cancer
Published in Sheeba Varghese Gupta, Yashwant V. Pathak, Advances in Nutraceutical Applications in Cancer, 2019
High intake of fruits and vegetables has shown a possible benefit in the reduction of breast cancer risk. Cruciferous vegetables such a broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, and Brussel sprouts contain high content of glucosinolates, and when eaten as raw vegetables, or chewed, an enzyme called myrosinase is released that converts glucosinolates into isothiocyanates [22]. This compound is known for its chemoprotective activity in cancer including breast cancer. The isothiocyanates are of different types and act in different ways; for example, benzyl isothiocyanate induced inhibition is associated with apoptotic cell death. The underlying mechanism of isothiocyanates seems to be mainly through the downregulation of ER and their signaling as well as apoptosis and cell cycle arrest, thus preventing the spread of cancer cells.
Dietary Diindolylmethane Enhances the Therapeutic Effect of Centchroman in Breast Cancer by Inhibiting Neoangiogenesis
Published in Nutrition and Cancer, 2023
Dhanamjai Penta, Jagadish Natesh, Priya Mondal, Syed Musthapa Meeran
Numerous studies have shown that consuming cruciferous vegetables lowers breast cancer risk [59, 60]. DIM is one of the key bioactive and is readily metabolized in cruciferous vegetables. The major bioactive precursor in cruciferous vegetables is glucosinolates, which are subdivided into glucobrassicin and glucoraphanin [60]. Glucobrassicin is the most abundant glucosinolate present in the Brassicaceae family. I3C, the precursor of DIM, is the enzymatic product of glucobrassicin. The average human consumption of glucosinolates varies in different countries and is estimated at around 0.5 µM/kg/d [61]. However, the major limitation of dietary bioactives, including DIM, is poor bioavailability. The DIM content largely varies in each vegetable and the age of the plant, cultivar, and storage of the vegetable, as well as the method of preparation [60]. Albeit, the concentration and bioavailability of DIM can be enhanced by different enrichment processes such as cooking, fermentation, and nanoformulations. The concentration of DIM has been shown to increase during cooking due to the thermal activation of the myrosinase enzyme, which converts DIM from the I3C [62]. There was a six folds increase in DIM concentration in boiled cabbage compared with uncooked cabbage [62]. Nevertheless, information on the consumption of different cruciferous vegetables and their adjuvant therapeutic effect on chemotherapeutics is currently lacking. The current study shows the adjuvant therapeutic effect of DIM with CC against the angiogenesis of TNBC tumors.
Consumption of Fruits, Vegetables and Bladder Cancer Risk: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Prospective Cohort Studies
Published in Nutrition and Cancer, 2022
Dimitra Xenou, Lazaros Tzelves, Evangelos Terpos, Kimon Stamatelopoulos, Theodoros N. Sergentanis, Theodora Psaltopoulou
This systematic review detected a protective effect of cruciferous vegetables in males, never smokers, against bladder cancer risk. However the finding should be considered with caution, as it has derived from only one study (29). Liu, et al. (2012) (34) included both case-control and cohort studies in their meta-analyses on cruciferous vegetable consumption and suggested a moderately reduced bladder cancer risk in case-control, but not in cohort studies. It has been found that cruciferous vegetables contain glucosinolates, which are hydrolyzed to isothiocyanates in the body leading to suppression of carcinogen activation and induction of detoxification through enzymes such as glutathione S-transferase and NAD(P)H:quinone reductase (38). The observed confinement of cruciferous vegetables’ positive effect into never smokers, supported by a single study (29), should be confirmed by additional studies.
An Overview of Hepatocellular Carcinoma with Emphasis on Dietary Products and Herbal Remedies
Published in Nutrition and Cancer, 2022
Deepa S. Mandlik, Satish K. Mandlik
Consumption of cruciferous vegetables including broccoli, cauliflower and brussel sprouts has been linked to a lower risk of cancer due to the presence of high levels of glucosinolates and isothiocyanates. The botanical name of radishes is Raphanus sativus L. contains a large number of polyphenols, isothiocyanates and glucosinolates (50). 4-methyl sulfanyl-3-butenyl glucosinolate is the abundant glucosinolates found in Raphanus sativus. It exhibits anti-tumor activity by facilitating phase II detoxification enzyme systems and encouraging the detoxification of active metabolites of cancerous drugs (51). Several types of research have shown that glucosinolates have anti-tumor properties that are linked to the stimulation of phase II enzyme activities (52). Low levels of glucoraphasatin and isothiocyanate derived from radish sprouts effectively enhanced hepatic phase II detoxification enzymes associated with the metabolism of chemical carcinogens in precision-cut rat liver slices (53).