Scientists at the New York Hormone Research Institute in the U.S. have discovered that the reason Chinese and Japanese women have a much lower incidence of breast cancer than Western women is their frequent consumption of cabbage.
Studies show that the annual incidence of breast cancer per 100,000 women is: 6 in China, 21 in Japan, 48 in Northern Europe, and 91 in the United States.
Scientists at the institute found that cabbage contains a compound that helps break down estrogen linked to breast cancer. This compound, called indole-3-carbinol, makes up about 1% of the weight of cabbage.
By consuming 0.5 kilograms of cabbage daily, women can absorb 500 milligrams of this compound, which increases the levels of an important enzyme in the body that helps break down estrogen.