Know2eat

Cabbage

Brassica oleracea var. capitata

Also known as White cabbage, Red cabbage, Savoy cabbage, Green cabbage

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A dense-headed Brassica oleracea cultivar, eaten raw, cooked or fermented. Red varieties carry anthocyanins that change colour with the acidity of the dish.

Heart HealthGut & Digestive Health

Potential health benefits

Best supported: Limited

Ordered by how well the human research supports them — strongest first. A rating describes the state of the evidence, not how impressive the food is. How we rate evidence.

Blood lipid profile

Heart Health
Limited evidence

Evidence is limited for an effect on blood lipids. Observational studies link higher cruciferous vegetable intake with better lipid profiles, but confounding with overall diet quality is difficult to separate out.

Limited evidence. Early human work, or mostly lab and animal research.

2 sources

Deep research mode adds each paper’s own conclusion and stated limitations.

Gut microbiome

Gut & Digestive Health
Limited evidence

Research suggests cabbage fibre and fructans may act as substrate for colonic bacteria. Most microbiome findings involving cabbage come from fermented preparations, where live cultures rather than the vegetable itself may be doing the work.

Limited evidence. Early human work, or mostly lab and animal research.

3 sources

Deep research mode adds each paper’s own conclusion and stated limitations.

Digestive comfort

Gut & Digestive Health
Insufficient evidence

Raw cabbage juice for stomach ulcers is a long-standing folk remedy that traces back to a handful of small uncontrolled mid-century studies. It has not been tested against modern standards, and ulcer management has since changed completely with the discovery of Helicobacter pylori.

Insufficient evidence. Not enough human research to say anything useful yet.

3 sources

Deep research mode adds each paper’s own conclusion and stated limitations.

Ask about Cabbage

Ask about Cabbage

Answers are written only from the entries on this page — the same nutrients, compounds, claims and citations you can read above. Nothing is added from outside the database, and every answer lists what it was built from.

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Key nutrients

Nutrient content per 100 grams
NutrientAmount% DV
Macronutrients
Calories25 kcal1%
Protein1.28 g3%
Total fat0.1 g0%
Carbohydrate5.8 g2%
Fibre2.5 g9%
Total sugars3.2 g—
Water92.2 g—
Fats
Saturated fat0.034 g0%
Monounsaturated fat0.017 g—
Polyunsaturated fat0.017 g—
Cholesterol0 mg0%
EPA (omega-3)0 g—
DHA (omega-3)0 g—
DPA (omega-3)0 g—
Linoleic acid (omega-6)0.017 g—
Vitamins
Vitamin A5 µg1%
Vitamin C36.6 mg41%
Vitamin D0 µg0%
Vitamin E0.15 mg1%
Vitamin K76 µg63%
Thiamin (B1)0.061 mg5%
Riboflavin (B2)0.04 mg3%
Niacin (B3)0.234 mg1%
Pantothenic acid (B5)0.212 mg4%
Vitamin B60.124 mg7%
Folate43 µg11%
Vitamin B120 µg0%
Choline10.7 mg2%
Minerals
Calcium40 mg3%
Iron0.47 mg3%
Magnesium12 mg3%
Phosphorus26 mg2%
Potassium170 mg4%
Sodium18 mg1%
Zinc0.18 mg2%
Copper0.019 mg2%
Manganese0.16 mg7%
Selenium0.3 µg1%
Other measured compounds
Beta-carotene42 µg—
Alpha-carotene33 µg—
Lycopene0 µg—
Lutein + zeaxanthin30 µg—
Caffeine0 mg—
Ash0.64 g—

Nutrient values are per 100 g of the USDA reference entry named on this page and vary with variety, growing conditions, storage and preparation.

Source record: Cabbage, raw (USDA FoodData Central, FDC ID 169975).

% DV uses the FDA Daily Values for adults and children aged 4 and over. A dash means no Daily Value has been established for that nutrient.

Bioactive compounds

Compounds present in meaningful amounts. Presence is banded rather than quantified, because whole-food levels vary enormously with variety, growing conditions, storage and preparation.

How preparation changes things

Only effects with real support are listed. If a preparation method is missing, it is because nothing dependable is documented — not because it makes no difference.

  • crushedIncreases isothiocyanate yield

    Shredding cabbage and letting it stand before cooking allows myrosinase to act on glucosinolates while the enzyme is still intact.

  • boiledReduces glucosinolates and vitamin C

    Boiling leaches glucosinolates and vitamin C into the water and destroys myrosinase. Quick stir-frying or steaming retains substantially more of both.

Things to know

Allergies, interactions and intake concerns. Every food gets this section — a reference where everything is uniformly good is not a reference.

  • Interaction

    Vitamin K and warfarin

    Cabbage contributes vitamin K1, less than kale or sprouts but enough that a large change in regular intake can affect warfarin control.

  • Worth knowing

    Goitrogens with iodine deficiency

    Raw cabbage releases thiocyanates that compete with iodine for thyroid uptake. Reported thyroid effects involve very large sustained raw intakes in iodine-deficient people, not ordinary use.

  • Too much

    Fructans and bloating

    Cabbage is a common trigger of wind and bloating because of its fructan content, and it is limited on low-FODMAP plans for irritable bowel syndrome.