Research in animal studies has uncovered that red cabbage microgreens help reduce LDL cholesterol – bad cholesterol. Microgreens are gaining traction in the food industry and showing up in more dishes. Not only do they add flavor and color to dishes but they are loaded with nutrients. The researchers wanted to test the benefits of red cabbage microgreens on mice who consumed a high-fat diet as a means of reducing cardiovascular disease risk.
Microgreens are a tender, immature plant which grow within two weeks time. Researchers suggest that microgreens can offer greater benefits to health as opposed to their fully-grown counterparts. Red cabbage has already been found to help protect against excess cholesterol and so the researchers wanted to see if their microgreens counterparts could offer greater benefits.
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The mice used for the study modeled obesity and were divided into different diet groups that received either a high fat diet with red cabbage microgreens, high fat diet without red cabbage microgreens, low fat diet with red cabbage microgreens, and lastly, low fat diet without red cabbage microgreens.
The mice who consumed the red cabbage microgreens had reduced weight along with lower levels of LDL cholesterol in their livers. Furthermore, the microgreens showed to have greater effects on reducing LDL cholesterol compared to fully-grown red cabbage.
Further research is required to determine if the same benefits will translate on humans.
Related: 9 surprising health benefits of cabbage
Mohan Garikiparithi got his degree in medicine from Osmania University (University of Health Sciences). He practiced clinical medicine for over a decade before he shifted his focus to the field of health communications. During his active practice he served as the head of the Dept. of Microbiology in a diagnostic centre in India. On a three-year communications program in Germany, Mohan developed a keen interest in German Medicine (Homoeopathy), and other alternative systems of medicine. He now advocates treating different medical conditions without the use of traditional drugs. An ardent squash player, Mohan believes in the importance of fitness and wellness.
