SCIENTISTS are investigating whether compounds found in cabbage could help prevent against diseases such as cancer and cardiovascular diseases.
Dr Wendy Russell, from the University of Aberdeen’s Rowett Institute, said: “Our study will investigate compounds found in different species of cabbage produced in Scotland, with the aim of identifying which ones have a positive impact on health when we eat them.
“Volunteers will be required to eat quantities of kale, white and red cabbage, and we will monitor the affect eating these vegetables, has on their body over the course of a day.”
The study is one component of a wider project looking at the potential health benefits of Scottish produce.
“If we can identify compounds in foods produced in Scotland, such as cabbage, which have clear health benefits it would provide the evidence needed to encourage the public to choose these foods as part of their regular diet.
“It would also allow us to give strong agricultural advice on developing strains of these vegetables that are more prominent in these particular compounds, and to influence manufacturers of health-conscious ready meals to include these vegetables in the products they develop in the future.”
