- (HealthScoutNews) -- Here's an excuse to go out
to the ballpark, or at least a Polish deli: Sauerkraut, that favored hot
dog topping, has powerful anti-cancer properties.
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- Cabbage, the basis of sauerkraut, is part of a family
of vegetables that includes broccoli and Brussels sprouts, which have long
been heralded for their ability to prevent cancer. However, the fermentation
process used to make sauerkraut appears to unlock even stronger anticarcinogenic
elements, according to a study in the latest issue of the Journal of Agricultural
and Food Chemistry.
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- "We are finding that fermented cabbage could be
healthier than raw or cooked cabbage, especially for fighting cancer,"
says Eeva-Liisa Ryhanen, one of the paper's authors at MTT Agrifood Research
Finland in Jokioinen, Finland.
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- The researchers analyzed cabbage before and after fermentation
to see how the elements had changed. They found the glucosinolates in cabbage
dissolved into a class of enzymes that have been shown in prior studies
to prevent cancer, Ryhanen says.
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- The family of vegetables cabbage belongs to helps prevent
cancers of the breast, lung and colon, says Leonard Bjeldanes, a professor
of food toxicology with the University of California at Berkeley.
-
- "The cancer rates come down as much as 40 percent
when you go from low consumption of these vegetables to high consumption,"
he says.
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- While Bjeldanes agrees that fermentation assists in the
breaking down the glucosinolates in cabbage, fermented foods aren't necessarily
better, he says. Pickles and yogurt, for example, don't appear to prevent
cancer.
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- "Fermentation is used mostly to preserve the food,"
he says.
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- Another researcher, though, found major differences between
the sauerkraut sold in Poland and the sauerkraut sold in the United States.
The American variety had fewer cancer-fighting elements than its overseas
cousin, says Yeong Ju, a researcher with the University of Illinois.
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- "The fermentation process can make a big difference
in potency," she says.
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- Mostly, the difference between the two cultures is how
much cabbage and sauerkraut they eat. In her 1998 study, Ju compared the
incidence of breast cancer among Polish women and Polish immigrants in
Michigan. The immigrants were four to five times more likely to develop
cancer than the women who stayed in Poland. The reason: Polish women eat
much more cabbage and sauerkraut, which inhibits estrogen, thereby slowing
down the development of the cancer, Ju says.
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- For the Finnish researchers, the next step is to improve
the fermentation process so more beneficial enzymes are released, Ryhanen
says. Besides its anti-cancer agents, sauerkraut has antibacterial qualities
and acids that help the body digest the cabbage.
- What To Do
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- To learn about how eating vegetables helps prevent cancer,
visit the National Cancer Institute. Learn about the U.S. government's
guidelines on eating vegetables by visiting the Division of Cancer Control
and Population Sciences.
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- For more information about sauerkraut, visit Pickle Packers
International.
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- Copyright © 2002 HealthScoutNews All rights reserved.
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