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Cruciferous vegetables
Vegetables of the family Brassicaceae
Vegetables of the family Brassicaceae
the use of Brassicaceae as food
Cruciferous vegetables are vegetables of the family Brassicaceae (also called Cruciferae) with many genera, species, and cultivars being raised for food production such as cauliflower, cabbage, kale, garden cress, bok choy, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, mustard plant and similar green leaf vegetables. The family takes its alternative name (Cruciferae, Neo-Latin for "cross-bearing") from the shape of their flowers, whose four petals resemble a cross.
Ten of the most common cruciferous vegetables eaten by people, known colloquially in North America as cole crops and in the UK, Ireland and Australia as brassicas, are in a single species (Brassica oleracea); they are not distinguished from one another taxonomically, only by horticultural category of cultivar groups. Numerous other genera, and species in the family are also edible.
Cruciferous vegetables are one of the dominant food crops worldwide. They are best grown in temperatures between 15 and 21 °C (59 and 70 °F). They are high in vitamin C and soluble fiber and contain multiple nutrients and phytochemicals.
List of cruciferous vegetables
Extensive selective breeding has produced a large variety of cultivars, especially within the genus Brassica. One description of genetic factors involved in the breeding of Brassica species is the Triangle of U.
| common name | genus | specific epithet | cultivar group | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Horseradish | ||||||
| Land cress | ||||||
| Ethiopian mustard | ||||||
| Kale | ||||||
| Collard greens | ||||||
| Gai lan / jie lan (Chinese broccoli) | ||||||
| Cabbage | ||||||
| Savoy cabbage | ||||||
| Brussels sprouts | ||||||
| Kohlrabi | ||||||
| Broccoli | ||||||
| Broccolini | ||||||
| Broccoflower | ||||||
| Broccoli romanesco | ||||||
| Cauliflower | ||||||
| Wild broccoli | ||||||
| Bok choy (Chinese cabbage) | ||||||
| Komatsuna | ||||||
| Mizuna | ||||||
| Rapini (broccoli rabe) | ||||||
| Choy sum (flowering cabbage) | ||||||
| Napa cabbage (Chinese cabbage) | ||||||
| Turnip root; greens | ||||||
| Rutabaga (swede) | ||||||
| Siberian kale | ||||||
| Canola/rapeseed; oil | ||||||
| Head mustard (heart mustard) | ||||||
| Brown mustard seeds; Mustard greens | ||||||
| White mustard seeds | ||||||
| Black mustard seeds | ||||||
| Tat choy | ||||||
| Wild arugula | ||||||
| Arugula (rocket) | ||||||
| Wasabi | ||||||
| Field pepperweed | ||||||
| Maca | ||||||
| Garden cress | ||||||
| Watercress | ||||||
| Radish | ||||||
| Daikon |
Further relationships inside the family Brassicaceae can be described by tribes, a grouping of genera (see ). Armoracia, Barbarea, and Nasturtium belong to the tribe Cardamineae; Brassica, Sinapis, Diplotaxis, Eruca, and Raphanus belong to Brassiceae; Lepidium belongs in Lepidieae; and finally Wasabia (Eutrema) belongs in Eutremeae.
Research
According to an umbrella review of 41 systematic reviews and meta-analyses of 303 observational studies, there is suggestive evidence for beneficial associations in gastric cancer, lung cancer, endometrial cancer, and all-cause mortality.
Cancer
Cruciferous vegetables contain glucosinolates, which are under research for their potential to affect cancer. Glucosinolates are hydrolyzed to isothiocyanates (ITCs) by myrosinase. ITCs are being investigated for their chemopreventive and chemotherapeutic effects.
Drug and toxin metabolism
Chemicals contained in cruciferous vegetables induce the expression of the liver enzyme CYP1A2.
Alliaceous and cruciferous vegetable consumption may induce glutathione S-transferases, uridine diphosphate-glucuronosyl transferases, and quinone reductases all of which are potentially involved in detoxification of carcinogens such as aflatoxin. High consumption of cruciferous vegetables has potential risk from allergies, interference with drugs such as warfarin, and genotoxicity.
Taste
People who can taste phenylthiocarbamide (PTC), which is either bitter or tasteless, are less likely to find cruciferous vegetables palatable due to the resemblance between isothiocyanates and PTC.
Contraindications
Although cruciferous vegetables are generally safe for human consumption, individuals with known allergies or hypersensitivities to a certain Brassica vegetable, or those taking anticoagulant therapy, should be cautious.
References
References
- Gibson AC. "Colewart and the cole crops". University of California Los Angeles.
- Manay, N Shakuntala. (2023). "Foods: Facts and Principles". New Age International.
- NCBI Taxonomy browser queries, retrieved January 3, 2022.
- (20 April 2022). "Cruciferous vegetable consumption and multiple health outcomes: an umbrella review of 41 systematic reviews and meta-analyses of 303 observational studies.". Food & Function.
- (Oct 2012). "Cancer chemoprevention with dietary isothiocyanates mature for clinical translational research". Carcinogenesis.
- (Aug 2014). "Molecular targets of isothiocyanates in cancer: recent advances". Molecular Nutrition & Food Research.
- (Dec 2011). "Health benefits and possible risks of broccoli - an overview". Food and Chemical Toxicology.
- (Jun 2000). "Brassica vegetables increase and apiaceous vegetables decrease cytochrome P450 1A2 activity in humans: changes in caffeine metabolite ratios in response to controlled vegetable diets". Carcinogenesis.
- (2000). "Chemoprotection by organosulfur inducers of phase 2 enzymes: dithiolethiones and dithiins". Drug Metabolism and Drug Interactions.
- (2001). "Cruciferous vegetables and cancer prevention". Nutrition and Cancer.
- (Jun 2003). "Plant-derived 3,3'-Diindolylmethane is a strong androgen antagonist in human prostate cancer cells". The Journal of Biological Chemistry.
- (Jun 2007). "A review of the clinical efficacy and safety of cruciferous vegetable phytochemicals". Nutrition Reviews.
- (2012). "The safety of cruciferous plants in humans: a systematic review". Journal of Biomedicine & Biotechnology.
- (Nov 2005). "Effects of glucosinolate-rich broccoli sprouts on urinary levels of aflatoxin-DNA adducts and phenanthrene tetraols in a randomized clinical trial in He Zuo township, Qidong, People's Republic of China". Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention.
- (7 June 2012). "Cruciferous Vegetables and Cancer Prevention". National Cancer Institute, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
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