Individuals use parsley in many food recipes, as it is used to garnish salads, and it is also added to various types of soups to give them a distinctive flavor. Parsley has many benefits due to its high nutritional value, including its importance in cancer prevention. So, what are the components of parsley that help in cancer prevention, and what types of cancer can be prevented by consuming parsley?

Parsley, also called petroselinum, with the scientific name (in English: Petroselinum Crispum), belongs to the Apiaceae family (in English: Apiaceae Plants), and the Mediterranean region is the original habitat of parsley.

Antioxidants found in parsley and cancer prevention

Parsley contains many nutrients, such as fiber, proteins, vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin K, potassium, and folic acid. It is low in calories and rich in antioxidants that prevent cell damage caused by free radicals due to oxidative stress (in English: Oxidative Stress), to maintain body health and protect it from diseases. An individual experiences oxidative stress when there is an imbalance between oxidants and antioxidants.

Among the antioxidants found in parsley are flavonoids (in English: Flavonoids), including myricetin (in English: Myricetin), as parsley is one of the foods richest in it. Myricetin limits chemical compounds called heterocyclic amines (in English: Heterocyclic Amines), many of which form when cooking meats. Therefore, individuals who like to eat grilled meat at high temperatures or charred are advised to consume parsley with it to reduce its harms.

Also, the antioxidant apigenin (in English: Apigenin) is a type of flavonoid that helps reduce the risk of many diseases such as cancer, type 2 diabetes, or heart diseases. Apigenin helps prevent cancer development by inhibiting certain enzymes involved in the proliferation of cancer cells. Some types of cancer that apigenin protects against include colon cancer, rectal cancer, prostate cancer, and breast cancer.

Parsley also contains antioxidants called carotenoids (in English: Carotenoids) such as lutein (in English: Lutein) and beta-carotene (in English: Beta Carotene), which help reduce the risk of some types of cancer such as lung cancer.

Parsley contains vitamin C, which is one of the antioxidants that play an important role in maintaining body health, strengthening the immune system, and preventing many chronic diseases. It helps reduce oxidative stress. Among the benefits of parsley in cancer prevention is that it reduces the risk of some types of cancer such as prostate cancer. It is worth mentioning that half a cup of parsley, equivalent to 30 grams, contains 53% of the body's daily requirement of vitamin C.