#1 Anticancer Vegetable

There are two superfood classes of vegetables most adept at blocking human cancer cell growth in a petri dish.

December 30, 2010
GD Star Rating
loading...

FavoriteLoadingAdd to My Playlist
  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100001503537077 Adam Rodriguez

    This is the most informative health video i have ever seen, thank you!

    GD Star Rating
    loading...
    • Michael Greger M.D.

      Don’t forget to check out part 1 of this video (kind of like the prequel :) just to put it in context.

      GD Star Rating
      loading...
  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=706601419 Peter Heeks

    Incredible as always

    GD Star Rating
    loading...
    • Michael Greger M.D.

      Definitely one of my favorites!

      GD Star Rating
      loading...
  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1621151310 Nouh Alaoui

    amazing and life changing.

    GD Star Rating
    loading...
    • Michael Greger M.D.

      Definitely changed the way my family now eats!

      GD Star Rating
      loading...
  • tom

    Which vegetables are best for fighting the spread of prostate cancer ,I can’t find the list.
    I think your website is terrific , good job with this and the friendly narrations are perfect .

    GD Star Rating
    loading...
  • tom

    I figured it out by stopping the video turning my head and copying the top 10 under the prostate chart .
    Garlic is #1 and cabbage is a about 10th.
    Once again ,great great website

    GD Star Rating
    loading...
    • Michael Greger M.D.

      Sorry about the neck strain! If there’s anything you can’t read let me know and I can post a larger image in the Supplementary Info section.

      GD Star Rating
      loading...
  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100002328778542 Robert Edmands

    I’m guessing that 50 cents I spent on a bulb of garlic was money well spent!

    GD Star Rating
    loading...
  • ragingfestus

    Thanks for such a great resource!

    GD Star Rating
    loading...
  • http://www.facebook.com/wyldblueangel Jennifer Mallory

    Are these best consumed raw or cooked!?!

    GD Star Rating
    loading...
  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000535751930 Melanie Anderson

    The most helpful cancer preventive video I have ever seen. Thank you!

    GD Star Rating
    loading...
  • Anya

    Jennifer – great question! Dr Greger has a few videos on the topic of cooking methods and the effects on nutrients. In fact there’s one video that may be perfect for you: Best Cooking Method. You may also want to look at this article which does a nice overview of some of the other research on the topic.

    GD Star Rating
    loading...
  • yurple

    Great stuff. What about mushrooms? I understand they are great, AND they are usually on the salad bar menu. Any intel to share?

    GD Star Rating
    loading...
  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000966482115 Michelle Rowe

    Awesome video, Dr. Greger! I am left with the question of the anticancer effects of raw vs. cooked garlic and onions. I know cooking reduces some of the nutrients but have raw and cooked alliums been tested in regard to the anti-cancer effects? In other words is it important to try to consume these raw notwithstanding their very strong flavors?

    GD Star Rating
    loading...
    • Michael Greger M.D.

      The secret to maintaining the anti-cancer effects of garlic is to either eat it raw (think salsa, homemade dressings, pesto, etc) or crush the garlic first, wait ten minutes, and then cook it. You know those chemical flares? You bend them, two chemicals mix and a light-emitting reaction takes place? The same kind of thing happens in garlic. Floating around in the cytoplasm of garlic cells is a compound called alliin and packed away in tiny intracellular storage compartments (called vacuoles) is an enzyme called alliinase. When the garlic tissues are crushed, the two mix and alliinase turns alliin into allicin, the phytonutrient thought to be responsible for many of garlic’s health benefits. Cooking destroys the enzyme, though, so even if you crush your garlic, if it’s thrown immediately into the pan, little allicin may be produced. Allicin is relatively heat stable, though, so if you chop your garlic and wait 10 minutes for the allicin to be formed, you can then cook it (the enzyme has already done its work) and presumably maintain many of the benefits.

      GD Star Rating
      loading...
  • PaulaPooh

    I Love this video so much, thank you! My question is should I consume the veggies/garlic, etc RAW or cooked? I like to do greensmoothies and juice, raw of course, are they veggies LESS anticancer if I cook them?? Also how much daily should I eat? Ex.- like 2 raw cloves of garlic in a savory smoothie?

    Any thoughts? Thanks, Paula

    GD Star Rating
    loading...
    • Michael Greger M.D.

      Thanks for your question PaulaPooh. Please see my answer to Michelle above.

      GD Star Rating
      loading...
      • PaulaPooh

        Thank you!

        GD Star Rating
        loading...
  • PaulaPooh

    I am surprised to learn that Carrots didn’t do much in this study to block cancer growth…as it is heavily used in the Gerson Therapy to fight/prevent cancer…very odd! Did anyone else notice that? Thanks.

    GD Star Rating
    loading...
    • Michael Greger M.D.

      I actually have a video coming our about Gerson Therapy–stay tuned! Unfortunately the data does not look good :(

      GD Star Rating
      loading...
      • PaulaPooh

        Wow, oh no, I’m looking fwd to seeing that video! Thanks for all your hard work and research!

        GD Star Rating
        loading...
  • Leszek

    That is a great video and sort of an eye opener. When it comes to garlic; how about the odorless or capsuled oils preparations? Are these any good?

    GD Star Rating
    loading...
    • http://medicaljourneyliz.com/ LizBaltaro

      Great question. I am curious about the prepared crushed garlic that comes in a jar too… is it any good? I am guessing these preparations can’t be as good as fresh garlic. However, are they better than not eating garlic at all?

      GD Star Rating
      loading...
  • ggnyc

    I have a question about garlic. From watching the video it is my understanding garlic targest cancer cells but does not hurt regular cells. My first question is does this apply to both raw and cooked garlic and if so is one more effective than the other.

    My second request is to ask your help in sorting out the conflicting advice on garlic from other authors and researchers who say raw garlic especially is toxic to the body with cooked garlic less so. They say raw garlic can burn tiny holes in the lining of the stomach of some people and it is especially dangerous for people with leaky gut syndrome as the garlic can get in the blood where it is especially dangerous. They also say it is bad for brain cells. Please review these two short videos on garlic to see my point on the difficult conflicts in the advice. Thank you in advance for your help with sorting this out.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PGMbAQNXlCY&feature=related

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=14aZbjs0mIY&feature=related

    GD Star Rating
    loading...
  • Vallis

    It is pronounced radeekio. :-)

    GD Star Rating
    loading...
  • lonestarnot

    One of my favorite salads starts with wilted chard; but I didn’t see any of the traditional cooked greens — kale, mustard, red/green chard, turnip, collard, etc — in this video. Assuming a) they’re gently wilted for the salad, and b) diners appreciate their more robust texture … how would they compare in terms of cancer prevention?

    GD Star Rating
    loading...
  • gareyj

    Hey Doc, How does a petri dish experiment compare with the human body?

    Garey

    GD Star Rating
    loading...
  • Nicolas

    Isn’t it true though that some of the beneficial compounds don’t last long enough inside the human body to reach the tumors? The study was for extracts applied directly onto cancer cells, no?

    GD Star Rating
    loading...
  • Ridley

    Dr. Greger:
    Where does swiss chard belong on the scale? I grow a lot of it and freeze it so that I can eat it all year. I use it the same way spinach is used. I much prefer it to spinach, and it is easier to grow in my climate. Does it have similar health benefits as spinach?

    GD Star Rating
    loading...
  • aguccione@sbcglobal.net

    Hi Ridley, Both the spinach and chard belong to the chenopod family, which also includes quinoa and beets. This is a phytonutrient-packed family of veggies. Here’s a link if you want to look into the detailed comparison between spinach and swiss chard: http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=16 Also, here’s a very interesting study on more anti-cancer properties of plants http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/amla-versus-cancer-cell-growth/

    GD Star Rating
    loading...
  • lena98765

    Do I understand correctly that according to this data bok choy is actually cancer promoting? I ask because on the charts where lower is better bok choy often scores over 100%. I also wonder why bok choy would be the odd one out. It is packed with micronutrients and does contain ITC’s that should be cancer blocking. Very strange!

    GD Star Rating
    loading...
  • angie

    This is a wonderful site I’m glad I found it! I so wish this study covered colon and ovarian cancer. I would love some trust worthy facts on it… I’ve been doing a little research and I came up with Broccoli, Cauliflower, Kale, and Chai Tea. I know its a shocker but you cant believe everything you read on the net… I’m still confused on the soy milk in Chai tea issue.

    GD Star Rating
    loading...
  • Adam Druett

    Good too know about the cancer blocking properties of Spinach but i have heard lots of accounts from different books etc on how much Spinach is safe to eat given the higher levels of oxilates compared to other leafy greens. Is there any current guidelines for safe oxilate consumption and how that equates to servings per week for example?

    GD Star Rating
    loading...
    • NickyC

      Hi Adam. While you are correct that spinach has a higher content of oxalates compared to other dark leafy greens, I would argue that unless you are an infant, or someone with a history of oxalate kidney stones, the benefits of spinach definitely outweigh the risks assocaited with its oxalate content. This other video, which discusses oxalate consumption from beets, may be of interest to you: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/asparagus-pee/. That said, everything in moderation. Why not diversify your consumption of greens? Some spinach, some kale, some chard, some collards, etc. You can also check out another video that discusses the consumption (or overconsumption) of raw greens: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/overdosing-on-greens/.

      GD Star Rating
      loading...
  • John C

    I noticed cabbage always scores much higher than red cabbage.   I assume that’s plain green cabbage.
    That seems counter-intuitive and I think you recommended red cabbage in another video.

    GD Star Rating
    loading...

  2. Blog from the Author

    Latest Nutrition DVD now available (proceeds to charity)

    The current batch of videos from volume 8 are set to run out soon, and so starting this week, and running up until August here on NutritionFacts.org, I’ll be rolling out the videos off my new Latest in Clinical Nutrition DVD, volume 9. The DVDs give folks the opportunity to sneak preview videos months ahead…

    Read More »