Some vegetables can help fight cancer and boost health

An article published by Health Digest highlights that radishes are often overlooked in the world of vegetables, but they pack a powerful punch when it comes to health benefits. 

If there's one food group that health professionals consistently recommend for improved well-being, it's vegetables. While you may have disliked eating your veggies as a child, you've likely come to understand that increasing your vegetable intake can aid in weight management and help protect against chronic illnesses. Radishes, however, are not typically seen as a go-to side dish. Instead, chefs often carve them into decorative shapes to add visual appeal to their meals. A half-cup of radishes provides nearly one gram of fiber and 10 per cent of your daily vitamin C intake. 

Radishes offer about 3 per cent of your daily potassium and a small amount of calcium. Although they might not seem nutrient-dense, radishes contain natural compounds that can benefit your health.

"Radishes belong to the Brassicaceae or Cruciferae family of vegetables," said Tami Best, a registered dietitian at Top Nutrition Coaching, in a Health Digest interview. "These vegetables are known to boost the body's production of glutathione, a powerful antioxidant essential for detoxification in the liver." Radishes also contain compounds that may protect the body from certain cancers. "Radishes are an excellent source of vitamin C, an antioxidant that has been linked to cancer protection," Best explained. A 2015 study in Science revealed that high doses of vitamin C can target colorectal cancer cells, which are often resistant to treatment. These cancer cells absorb an oxidized form of vitamin C, which disrupts their cellular functions and leads to their destruction. Radish seeds contain a compound known as sulforaphene, which may help combat aggressive forms of breast cancer, according to a 2017 study in Phytomedicine.

Sulforaphene inhibits the division of breast cancer cells while inducing apoptosis, or programmed cell death. Importantly, it affects cancerous cells more than healthy breast cells. While radishes are commonly added to salads in the form of their roots, a 2009 study in Acta Horticulturae suggests that you should also consider including radish leaves, or shoots, in your diet. Both radish roots and shoots contain cancer-fighting glucosinolates, but the shoots also produce sulforaphane and sulforaphene, which activate detoxifying enzymes that help prevent cancer. In fact, radish shoots and sprouts contain higher levels of vitamins, minerals, and bioactive compounds than the roots, according to a 2021 article in Trends in Food Science & Technology. 

Radish shoots are rich in protein, potassium, and vitamin C, while radish sprouts are high in vitamin A. 

By Naila Huseynova