The pigment that gives red cabbage its distinctive colour can also help fight cancer in humans, provided the body can absorb the right type and in sufficient quantities, according to research from the US Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Research Service (ARS).
The pigments, called anthocyanins, provide fruit and vegetables with beneficial blue, purple and red colouring, and are also part of a group of healthful compounds that fall within the flavonoid class of plant nutrients. ARS scientists have identified 36 anthocyanins in red cabbage, including eight that have never before been detected in the cabbage.
The study was conducted at the ARS Beltsville Human Nutrition Research Center in Maryland, where scientists pioneered methods for identifying and measuring various phytonutrients in fruits and vegetables, their findings have been published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.
According to the scientists, emerging evidence suggests that anthocyanins may provide cancer protection, improve brain function and promote heart health. An earlier ARS study showed that some anthocyanins yield twice the antioxidant power of the same amount of vitamin C in test tubes, although the amount absorbed by the human body was not explored.
In this latest study, 12 volunteers consumed three different amounts of cooked red cabbage along with a full diet of carefully controlled foods. Each volunteer completed three two-day meal regimens, which included 2/3 cup, 1-1/3 cups, or 2 cups of red cabbage. The volunteers were capable of absorbing the most anthocyanins when given the largest serving of cooked cabbage.
One intriguing result of the research was the evidence that showed that all anthocyanins are not the same, with some absorbed more quickly and easily into the human blood stream. Nearly 80 percent of cabbage anthocyanins tested were acylated, meaning attached to acyl groups, which made them more stable and less absorbable. The non-acylated anthocyanins present were at least four times more bioavailable, or absorbed, than the acylated anthocyanins, the study showed.
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