NutriDex

The Supplement Research Compendium
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Cabbage

A humble cruciferous staple with glucosinolate-driven cardiovascular and cancer-protective signals.

Moderate evidence 🥦Vegetables

✚ Updated · How we grade evidence

Evidence tier
Moderate
Research weight
Citations
12 verified / 12
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)

89gSERVING
  • Sugars 2.8 g3%
  • Fibre 2.2 g2%
  • Other carbs 0.2 g0%
  • Protein 1.1 g1%
  • Other 82.7 g93%
What's in one serving, by weight — average composition (USDA).
Vitamin C36%Fiber8%Potassium3%Folate10%Vitamin A0%Vitamin K56%Vitamin B66%Manganese6%
One serving as % of the adult daily requirement (FDA Daily Values). The bold outer ring = 100% of a day's needs.
22 kcal1.1 g protein2.2 g fiber2.8 g sugar
NutrientPer serving% daily value
Vitamin C33 mg36%
Fiber2.2 g8%
Potassium151 mg3%
Folate38 µg10%
Vitamin A4 µg0%
Vitamin K68 µg56%
Vitamin B60.11 mg6%
Manganese0.14 mg6%
Copper0.02 mg2%
Vitamin E0.13 mg1%
Magnesium11 mg3%
Calcium36 mg3%

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
glucosinolates (sinigrin, glucobrassicin)sulforaphaneindole-3-carbinolisothiocyanatesvitamin Cvitamin K1anthocyanins (red cabbage)

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 ★ 12 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 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.
12 sources cited · 12 verified Search all studies on PubMed ↗

Common questions about Cabbage

What is Cabbage used for?

Cabbage is most often taken for 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. A humble cruciferous staple with glucosinolate-driven cardiovascular and cancer-protective signals.

Does Cabbage work — what does the evidence say?

Moderate evidence. Several controlled trials; effects real but modest or context-dependent. 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.

What is the typical dose of Cabbage?

Standard serving: 1 cup chopped, raw (89 g). Eat whole (with skin where edible); favour whole fruit over juice.

Is Cabbage safe? Any cautions or side effects?

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.

How many studies support Cabbage?

NutriDex cites 12 sources for Cabbage, graded "Moderate".

Cite this page
APA

Peh, D. (2026). Cabbage: Benefits, Dosage, Side Effects & Evidence. NutriDex — The Supplement Research Compendium. Retrieved 16 Sept 2026, from https://nutridex.info/s/cabbage

BibTeX
@misc{nutridex_cabbage,
  author       = {Peh, Daryl},
  title        = {Cabbage: Benefits, Dosage, Side Effects \& Evidence},
  year         = {2026},
  howpublished = {NutriDex --- The Supplement Research Compendium},
  url          = {https://nutridex.info/s/cabbage},
  note         = {Reviewed by Dr Daryl Peh, MBBS Singapore, MMed FM. Accessed 2026-09-16}
}

For medical claims, citing the underlying primary studies linked above is preferred. NutriDex is an educational reference, not medical advice.

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