In people's daily diet, vegetables are indispensable. They are not only an important source of nutrients needed by the human body but also an essential material basis for ensuring human health. Fresh vegetables are not only delicious, nutritious, but also have high medicinal and health care value. If vegetables are often not eaten, it is harmful to human health. Li Shizhen, a medical scientist of the Ming Dynasty, listed grains, fruits, vegetables, grasses, and trees as five parts of medicinal plants in his book "Compendium of Materia Medica". Tao Hongjing of the Northern and Southern Dynasties also listed "fruits, vegetables, rice, and food" as a category of drugs in his book "Collection of Commentaries on the Materia Medica". This shows that the medicinal value of vegetables was discussed in ancient China.
At the end of 1913, the crew of the Russian ship "圣虎克号" (St. Tiger) moored in the Arctic Ocean suffered from a collective outbreak of scurvy, even though they were eating high-class foods like fish and meat cans. The reason was that they had not eaten fresh vegetables for several consecutive days. Why can fresh vegetables cure diseases? Because they are rich in various vitamins. Once the human body lacks them, it can cause cell development disorders, bleeding in various parts of the body, swollen gums, and loose teeth, which are the main symptoms of scurvy. Regularly eating vegetables allows the human body to supplement a variety of vitamins from vegetables, which has a positive effect on preventing severe colds, methemoglobinemia, reducing the chronic toxicity of pesticides, prolonging the survival period of cancer patients, and increasing the body's resistance to plateau diseases. Some studies have found that various vitamins, cellulose, and inorganic sugars and salts in vegetables, such as iron, calcium, and copper, are important raw materials for the human body to produce red blood cells and for bone development. The rich cellulose in vegetables can absorb water in the intestines, stimulate the intestinal tract, enhance gastrointestinal peristalsis, reduce the contact time between feces and the intestinal mucosa, and timely excrete some carcinogens in the fecal excretion, preventing them from staying in the intestines, thereby eliminating some pathogenic factors.
For a long time, scientists from various countries have actively worked hard to study and explore the anti-cancer mechanism of vegetables in order to conquer cancer. Scientists from China, the United States, Japan, and other countries have listed about 40 types of vegetables that are believed to prevent and treat cancer in some form after decades of research, such as carrots, sweet potatoes, garlic, large peppers, cauliflower, mushrooms, shiitake mushrooms, konjac, pumpkin, soybeans, ginger, green onions, cabbage, onions, white radishes, leeks, tomatoes, etc. Thus, the creed "to prevent cancer and keep fit, eat more vegetables and fruits" has become popular all over the world. So, which vegetables can prevent and treat cancer? This article introduces the anti-cancer components in vegetables for readers' reference. Anti-cancer component one in vegetables
Abundant chlorophyll has anti-mutagenic effects
In recent years, domestic and foreign researchers have used the advanced SOS color test to study anti-mutagenic foods. The SOS response is an error-prone repair function that occurs when ribonucleic acid in cells is damaged or nucleic acid replication is blocked. The SOS color test can quickly and effectively detect the mutagenic or anti-mutagenic degree of food. Researchers conducted SOS tests on more than 30 fresh vegetables, such as ginger, green peppers, onions, potatoes, celery, carrots, spinach, cauliflower, cabbage, white radishes, mushrooms, lettuce, fava beans, leeks, soybean sprouts, toon sprouts, shepherds purse, tomatoes, bamboo shoots, garlic, etc. The results showed that the acetone extracts of most vegetables had anti-SOS reactions, which may be related to containing chlorophyll; the water-soluble extracts of more than 10 vegetables, such as garlic chives, garlic, leeks, soybean sprouts, and tomatoes, could inhibit the SOS reaction. Among them, the effect of garlic chives, garlic, and leeks was the strongest. The inhibition of the SOS reaction suggests that these vegetables have anti-mutagenic effects, and water-soluble extracts are closer to living conditions, so they have greater anti-cancer significance. Anti-cancer component two in vegetables
Contains interferon inducers
Experts from the Virus Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Preventive Medicine have finally uncovered the mystery of vegetables' anti-cancer effects after six years of research: they contain interferon inducers. Interferon inducers can induce and stimulate cells to produce interfer themselves, promoting the body's resistance to viral infections and inhibiting the proliferation of cancer cells. From gourds such as loofah, raw melon, snake melon, and bottle gourd, to radishes such as red radish, white radish, and green radish, to carrots in the Umbelliferae family, they all contain interferon inducers. To prevent oral cancer, esophageal cancer, stomach cancer, and nasopharyngeal cancer, it is advisable to eat these vegetables rich in interferon inducers raw as much as possible. Anti-cancer component three in vegetables
Contains a large amount of sulfur compounds
Vegetables rich in sulfur compounds include Liliaceae such as onions, onions, and garlic, and Cruciferae such as white radish, cabbage, cabbage, and turnips. For example, Cruciferae vegetables contain natural inhibitors of cancer cells such as indole compounds and aromatic thiocyanates. According to experiments by American scientists, the dithiothione in Cruciferae vegetables has anti-cancer effects. Animal experiments have confirmed that taking thiocyanate compounds can significantly reduce benzopyrene-induced stomach cancer and lung cancer. According to a discovery by the American Hormone Research Institute, Chinese cabbage contains a compound called indole-3-carboxaldehyde, which can decompose estrogen associated with breast cancer, so eating Chinese cabbage regularly can prevent breast cancer. Experts also recommend that women eat more Cruciferae vegetables, which have a certain preventive and therapeutic effect on cancer diseases specific to women. Anti-cancer component four in vegetables
Contains β-sitosterol
According to scientific research experiments at the Sloan Kettering Memorial Cancer Center in New York, a main component of vegetables, β-sitosterol, has the effect of preventing and treating tumor formation. When animals were fed with feed containing 0.2% β-sitosterol, the growth of their colonic epithelial cells was 50% lower than that of the control group that did not receive the feed. In another experiment, animals were first fed with carcinogenic nitrosamine compounds, and then fed with β-sitosterol. Only one-third of the animals developed tumors, while more than half of the control group developed cancer. Anti-cancer component five in vegetables
Contains amylase and lycopene
Japanese scientists have discovered that radishes contain an "amylase" that can detoxify strong carcinogens such as nitrosamines and benzo[a]pyrene, making them lose their carcinogenic effects, and its anti-cancer effect is quite significant. In addition, lettuce, peas, bean sprouts, pumpkin, etc., also contain an "enzyme" that can decompose strong carcinogenic nitrosamines and effectively prevent cancer. In addition, according to American research, eating more tomatoes can reduce the incidence of prostate cancer and pancreatic cancer in men. Survey results show that compared with people who do not eat tomatoes, the prevalence of prostate cancer can be reduced by 45% in people who eat tomato-containing foods more than 10 times a week. The anti-cancer effect of tomatoes is mainly due to lycopene, which interferes with molecules that damage genetic material DNA and cause cancer in the human body. Anti-cancer component six in vegetables
Contains β-carotene
Under the leadership of Professor Bu Jin of the Cancer Suppression Laboratory of the Russian Cancer Research Center, the anti-cancer effect of β-carotene has been studied for many years. The research results confirmed that taking β-carotene supplements can reduce the incidence of stomach cancer, lung cancer, breast cancer, and brain tumors by half to two-thirds. If the body lacks β-carotene or vitamin A, it can cause various cancers such as esophageal cancer, stomach cancer, and lung cancer. According to epidemiological surveys in the United States, Japan, Iran, and northern China, the incidence of esophageal cancer is related to insufficient vitamin A intake, and the probability of cancer is high in those with low content. Vegetables rich in carotene include carrots, large peppers, spinach, leeks, rape, small cabbage, celery, tomatoes, bamboo shoots, alfalfa, coriander, etc. Anti-cancer component seven in vegetables
Contains B vitamins
Among B vitamins, B2, B6, B12, and folic acid all have anti-cancer effects. The detoxification of chemical carcinogens in the body requires the participation of vitamin B2. According to research experiments: eating more foods containing vitamin B2 can prevent and treat liver cancer. Vegetables containing vitamin B2 include: fresh green leafy vegetables, seaweed, shiitake mushrooms, and fresh legumes. Folic acid and vitamin B12 deficiency are important factors in the high incidence of esophageal cancer. For example, Yangcheng County in Shanxi Province is a high-incidence area of esophageal cancer. According to a large number of surveys and tests by experts from Shanxi Medical College, the overall levels of serum folic acid and vitamin B12 in the population of the county are significantly low. This shows that preventing folic acid and vitamin B12 deficiency is one of the measures to prevent esophageal cancer. According to another epidemiological survey: folic acid deficiency can also lead to cervical cancer, colon cancer, rectal cancer, and brain tumors. The main vegetables containing folic acid are spinach, celery, Swiss chard, leeks, cabbage, cauliflower, lettuce, etc. Anti-cancer component eight in vegetables
Contains vitamin C
According to epidemiological surveys, residents in high-incidence areas of esophageal cancer and stomach cancer have low vitamin C intake. If vitamin C intake is high, the incidence of esophageal cancer and stomach cancer is low. Vitamin C can improve immune function, fight and kill cancer cells, and inhibit cancer cells and carcinogenic viruses by promoting the synthesis of interferon. It eliminates the synthesis of foreign carcinogens in the body, effectively preventing the occurrence of laryngeal cancer, esophageal cancer, stomach cancer, liver cancer, and cervical cancer. Vegetables rich in vitamin C mainly include: small cabbage, rape, amaranth, green garlic, alfalfa, cauliflower, bitter gourd, peppers, edamame, carrots, white radishes, lettuce, etc. Anti-cancer component nine in vegetables
Contains vitamin D
Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh in the United States have found that large amounts of vitamin D supplements can inhibit metastatic prostate cancer in experimental mice. This discovery provides a new way to prevent and treat human prostate cancer. Professor Ben Wright of the University of Pittsburgh Center said in a research report that he and his colleagues transplanted highly metastatic prostate cancer cells into some experimental mice, then divided these mice into two groups: one group was injected with vitamin D for three consecutive weeks, and the other group received no treatment. The results showed that the tumor volume in the group injected with vitamin D was 88% smaller than the other group, the number of metastatic tumors in the lungs was 75% less, and the volume of lung tumors was 85% smaller. Previous scientific research found that some prostate cancer patients have low levels of vitamin D in their blood, which indicates a certain connection between vitamin D and prostate cancer, but this is the first time that experiments have proved that vitamin D has a certain inhibitory effect on the spread of prostate cancer. Vegetables with high vitamin D content include leeks, garlic, onions, soybeans, coriander, white radishes, celery, seaweed, potatoes, as well as various animal livers and fish. Anti-cancer component ten in vegetables
Contains cellulose
The rich cellulose contained in vegetables is a carbohydrate that cannot be absorbed by the human body. It is mainly composed of plant fibers, pectin, gum, and lignin. After analyzing 13 cases of colon and rectal cancer, researchers found that the cellulose in vegetables has a significant preventive effect on colon and rectal cancer. The reason is that the presence of cellulose induces the large-scale reproduction of beneficial bacteria in the intestines, can bind to toxic substances in the intestines and promote their excretion, and shortens the toxic effects of toxic substances on the intestines. The lignin in cellulose can increase the activity of macrophages that engulf bacteria and cancer cells in the body by 2 to 3 times, thereby effectively preventing the occurrence of cancer. Anti-cancer component eleven in vegetables
Contains allicin and ginsenoside Rh2
From survey research, it was found that the amount of garlic consumption is negatively correlated with the mortality rate of stomach cancer. The more garlic is eaten, the lower the mortality rate. The low mortality rate of stomach cancer in garlic-producing areas is a proof. Garlic also has a variety of anti-cancer components. For example, allicin can block the synthesis of carcinogenic nitrosamines and has the effect of preventing and treating digestive tract cancers. Among them, the thiol compounds in garlic can competitively bind to nitrites, which is the mechanism by which garlic blocks the chemical synthesis of nitrosamines. Animal experiments have confirmed that garlic does have an inhibitory effect on cancer cells. Two Japanese scholars made an anti-cancer vaccine from garlic, which contained some cancer cells that had been exposed to fresh garlic juice. When the vaccine was injected into mice and then a large number of live cancer cells were injected, the result was surprisingly that no mouse developed tumors, while both mice that were only injected with cancer cells developed tumors. This means that the preventive effect of the garlic vaccine is extremely high. Female mice fed fresh garlic had a much lower incidence of breast cancer than normal mice. The hot water extract of garlic had an inhibition rate of 70-80% on cervical cancer. According to American research, garlic also has a preventive effect on liver cancer, lung cancer, colon cancer, and other tumors. According to Japanese research, fresh ginger has anti-cancer effects. The reason is that fresh ginger contains ginsenoside Rh2, which can inhibit the spread of cancer cells. Anti-cancer component twelve in vegetables
Contains a variety of trace elements
Scientific research has confirmed that trace elements such as selenium, molybdenum, iron, zinc, and germanium all have the effect of preventing and treating tumors. For example, selenium can prevent carcinogens from combining with deoxyribonucleic acid in normal cells, inhibit the development of cancer foci, and stimulate the activity of lysosomes in cells, thus playing an anti-cancer role. Specifically, selenium can reduce the toxicity of aflatoxin and at the same time stimulate the production of immunoglobulins and antibodies, thereby enhancing the body's resistance to external carcinogens. Researchers once investigated and analyzed the relationship between tumor mortality rates and daily selenium intake in 20 countries, and found that selenium intake is negatively correlated with colon cancer, rectal cancer, breast cancer, pancreatic cancer, prostate cancer, bladder cancer, ovarian cancer, leukemia, liver cancer, and skin cancer. Vegetables containing selenium include: garlic, Chinese cabbage, onions, and pumpkins. If the human body lacks molybdenum for a long time, it can also suffer from esophageal cancer. When people ingest food, carcinogenic nitrosamines enter the human body. If they accumulate for a long time, they can easily induce tumors. Molybdenum can block the generation of nitrosamines in the body. In particular, molybdenum can inhibit the occurrence of esophageal cancer, reduce the absorption of carcinogens in the body and accelerate their excretion, and has the effect of ensuring that normal cell genetic factors are not invaded by carcinogens. Vegetables containing molybdenum include: Chinese cabbage, cabbage, radish greens, Swiss chard, etc. Anti-cancer component thirteen in vegetables
Contains polysaccharides
Research has confirmed that edible fungi such as white mushrooms, enoki mushrooms, straw mushrooms, tremella, and lion's mane mushrooms all contain polysaccharides, which can inhibit the proliferation and division of human cancer cells, thereby having a significant anti-cancer effect. For example, the lentinan contained in shiitake mushrooms has an anti-cancer rate of 80-95%. Clinical evidence has confirmed that the scope of shiitake mushroom prevention and treatment of cancer is very wide, such as esophageal cancer, stomach cancer, lung cancer, intestinal cancer, and leukemia and other malignant tumors. According to Japanese data, some early-stage cancer patients have even eliminated their tumors due to long-term consumption of edible fungi. Even without cancer, eating edible fungi often can prevent problems before they happen.