cabbage
A humble cruciferous staple with glucosinolate-driven cardiovascular and cancer-protective signals.
Moderate evidence
🥦Vegetables
Evidence tier
Moderate
Research weight
Citations
13 verified / 13
Classification
Vegetables
❝
What the evidence says. Several controlled trials; effects real but modest or context-dependent.
Nutrition per serving 1 cup chopped, raw (89 g)
- Sugars 2.8 g3%
- Fibre 2.2 g2%
- Other carbs 0.2 g0%
- Protein 1.1 g1%
- Other 82.7 g93%
22 kcal1.1 g protein2.2 g fiber2.8 g sugar
| Nutrient | Per serving | % daily value |
|---|---|---|
| Vitamin C | 33 mg | 36% |
| Fiber | 2.2 g | 8% |
| Potassium | 151 mg | 3% |
| Folate | 38 µg | 10% |
| Vitamin A | 4 µg | 0% |
| Vitamin K | 68 µg | 56% |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.11 mg | 6% |
| Manganese | 0.14 mg | 6% |
| Copper | 0.02 mg | 2% |
| Vitamin E | 0.13 mg | 1% |
| Magnesium | 11 mg | 3% |
| Calcium | 36 mg | 3% |
Composition data: USDA FoodData Central ↗
What is cabbage?
cabbage is a vegetable used for modest blood-pressure lowering (cruciferous rct). NutriDex grades the human evidence as Moderate. Cabbage is a low-calorie cruciferous vegetable that delivers vitamin C, vitamin K, and folate alongside glucosinolates that break down into bioactive isothiocyanates. Human evidence is strongest at the cruciferous-vegetable class level: a controlled crossover RCT showed daily cruciferous intake modestly lowers blood pressure, and large meta-analyses link higher cruciferous consumption with lower cardiovascular disease incidence and reduced colorectal and gastric cancer risk. Diabetes evidence is mixed and not yet convincing.
Purported Benefits
✓Modest blood-pressure lowering (cruciferous RCT)
✓Lower cardiovascular disease incidence in cohorts
✓Reduced colorectal and gastric cancer risk
✓Very low energy, good fiber and vitamin C
✓Excellent source of vitamin K and folate
Dosing & Compounds
Typical Dose
Standard serving: 1 cup chopped, raw (89 g). Eat whole (with skin where edible); favour whole fruit over juice.
Active Compounds
Safety & Cautions
Raw cruciferous vegetables contain goitrogens that may affect thyroid function at very high intakes, mainly with iodine deficiency. High vitamin K content can interfere with warfarin dosing—keep intake consistent. Cabbage is a high-FODMAP food (raffinose/fructans) that can cause gas and bloating in sensitive or IBS individuals. Educational only — always check with your doctor or pharmacist before combining cabbage with any medicine.
Key Studies ★ 13 studies
Systematic review
Guo 2024 umbrella review
✓ PubMed
Umbrella review of 22 meta-analyses (175 cancer studies) found cruciferous vegetable intake associated with reduced cancer risk (pooled OR 0.77; RR 0.96), with signals across lung, gastric, prostate, breast, endometrial, ovarian cancer and renal cell carcinoma.
Meta-analysis
Zheng 2024 dose-response meta-analysis
✓ PubMed
Systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis (Nutrition Reviews) identified protective cruciferous vegetable intake thresholds, e.g. ~5.41 servings/week for colorectal and lung cancer and ~3 servings/week for prostate cancer.
Meta-analysis
Ovarian cancer meta-analysis 2024
✓ PubMed
Dose-response meta-analysis (7 cohort + 7 case-control studies; 7,269 cases) found highest vs lowest cruciferous vegetable intake associated with a combined relative risk of 0.90 (95%CI 0.84-0.96) for ovarian cancer.
Meta-analysis
Colon cancer dose-response meta-analysis 2025
✓ Source
Updated dose-response meta-analysis (BMC Gastroenterology 2025) found higher cruciferous vegetable intake inversely associated with colon cancer risk.
Meta-analysis
Pollock 2016
✓ Full text
Meta-analysis of 8 cohorts: higher green-leafy/cruciferous vegetable intake associated with 15.8% lower CVD incidence (RR 0.842, 95% CI 0.753-0.941).
Meta-analysis
Chen 2018
✓ PubMed
Singapore Chinese Health Study plus meta-analysis (11 cohorts, ~754,000 participants): high cruciferous intake associated with ~13% lower type 2 diabetes risk, though heterogeneity was high.
Meta-analysis
Wu 2013 (colorectal)
✓ PubMed
Meta-analysis of 35 studies: highest vs lowest cruciferous intake associated with reduced colorectal cancer risk (RR 0.82, 95% CI 0.75-0.90).
Meta-analysis
Wu 2013 (gastric)
✓ PubMed
Meta-analysis of epidemiological studies: high cruciferous vegetable consumption inversely associated with gastric cancer risk (RR 0.81, 95% CI 0.75-0.88).
RCT
Connolly 2024 (VESSEL)
✓ Full text
Crossover RCT (n=17): 300 g/day cruciferous vegetables for 2 weeks lowered 24-h systolic BP by 2.5 mmHg (95% CI -4.1 to -0.9) vs root/squash vegetables.
RCT
VESSEL Study (Connolly 2024)
✓ Full text
In a randomized controlled crossover trial of 18 adults with mildly elevated BP, ~300 g/day cruciferous vegetables (including cabbage) for 2 weeks lowered 24-h brachial systolic BP by 2.5 mmHg (95%CI -4.2, -0.9; P=0.002) vs root/squash vegetables.
RCT
VESSEL Study (BMC Medicine 2024)
✓ Source
Cruciferous vegetable intervention also significantly reduced serum triglycerides by 0.2 mmol/L (95%CI -0.4, -0.0; P=0.047) vs control in adults with mildly elevated blood pressure.
Cohort
Blekkenhorst 2018
✓ Source
Cross-sectional cohort of older women (n=684): each 10 g/day higher cruciferous vegetable intake associated with 0.8% lower carotid plaque/subclinical atherosclerosis burden.
Cohort
Zhang 2011
✓ Full text
Prospective cohorts of Chinese women and men: higher cruciferous vegetable intake associated with lower total and cardiovascular disease mortality.