Cabbage

Studies in people

• Benefit

  Cancer risk²

  Eating white cabbage may be linked to a lower risk of some cancers, but scientists do not yet know for sure.

Animal and lab studies only

• Benefit

  Gut barrier protection¹⁰

  Fermented cabbage, but not raw cabbage, protected gut cells from inflammation damage.

• Benefit

  Blood sugar and red blood cells¹⁶

  In animal studies, red cabbage extract lowered blood sugar and helped prevent anemia in diabetic rats.

Study type not stated

• Benefit

  Blood sugar control⁴

  Cabbage may help control blood sugar and protect the liver and kidneys in people with type 2 diabetes.

Found in some samples or products

These come from where it was grown, how it was processed or cooked, or what it was made into. They are not about the ingredient itself, so the signal does not count them.

• Heavy metals in vegetables³

  Cabbage, wheat and spinach grown here held heavy metals, but amounts eaten stayed within safe limits.

• Radiation in vegetables⁵

  Cabbage and other foods were tested for radioactive elements, and the risk from eating them was lower than from the farm soil.

• Cancer risk from vegetables⁶

  Cabbage and lettuce grown in one Iranian city held heavy metals, and lifetime cancer risk from eating them was judged unacceptable.

• Pesticide breakdown in crops⁷

  Cyantraniliprole sprayed on cabbage broke down within days, and residues in the harvested heads stayed below India's limit.

• Pesticide residue on vegetables⁸

  In Chinese cabbage, kale, lettuce and cauliflower, chlorfluazuron broke down quickly, and the risk from eating them was low.

• Dietary risk judged acceptable⁹

  Lufenuron was found on cabbages, and the risk from eating them was judged acceptable.

• Food poisoning risk¹¹

  Listeria monocytogenes can grow on raw cabbage kept in the fridge, but heat treatment kills it.

• Cooking lowers cadmium levels¹²

  Cabbage grown in cadmium-rich soil holds less cadmium after boiling or stir-frying than when eaten raw.

• Pesticide risk in children¹³

  Tolfenpyrad on cabbage worried scientists for children's short-term risk, but washing and cooking brought it down.

• Toxins in irrigated vegetables¹⁴

  Cabbage and potatoes grown with water from algae-filled dams can soak up cyanotoxins above the daily limit.

• Trace elements in soil¹⁵

  Cabbage grown with wastewater took up trace elements like cadmium and lead, though mixing with fresh water lowered the levels.

The signal at the top counts the findings in people and in animal and lab studies. A concern in studies of people outranks animal and lab studies, and “No concerns” needs at least one finding in people. When most findings in people point one way, the page leans that way (“Mostly”), and every finding is still shown. Findings whose study type is not stated are shown but not counted. This page is a reference, not medical advice. It describes what regulators and published research say. Talk to a doctor or dietitian about your own diet.