Cabbage: Nutrients, What Research Shows and Safety

Cabbage (Brassica oleracea var. capitata) belongs to the mustard or cabbage family (Brassicaceae). The leaves of the tight head are eaten, raw or cooked, and green, white and red types are common. People eat it for vitamin C, vitamin K and fiber, and for plant compounds called glucosinolates. This page keeps the food apart from supplements and from hype, and says what the research does and does not show. Fermented cabbage has its own pages: sauerkraut and kimchi.

Read this first

• Warfarin: cabbage is a vitamin K food. MedlinePlus lists it among vegetables with vitamin K and says sudden changes in vitamin K intake can change how warfarin works, so intake should stay fairly steady. [4] The NHS says you do not have to avoid such vegetables but should ask your warfarin clinic for advice. [5] This is information, not a prescription.
• Thyroid: a 2024 systematic review of 123 studies found eating brassica vegetables, especially with enough iodine, showed no adverse effect on thyroid function. [6] If you have a thyroid condition, ask your clinician.
• Allergy: food allergy is possible with any food. For trouble breathing or swelling of the face or throat, call 911.
• Evidence in one line: cabbage is a good everyday source of vitamin C and vitamin K. We found no trial showing that eating cabbage prevents or treats a disease, and cabbage leaf wraps have mixed, limited support.

What is in it (USDA values)

The USDA lists 1 cup chopped as 89 g for both green and red cabbage; for red cabbage that serving gives about 51 mg vitamin C (56% DV), 34 µg vitamin K (28% DV) and 49.8 µg vitamin A (6% DV). [2] % Daily Value uses the FDA 2016 Daily Values; values vary with variety, ripeness and storage. Source: USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy items 169975 and 169977. [1][2]

Main plant compounds:

• Glucosinolates are sulfur-containing compounds typical of the cabbage family. A 2026 lab analysis of white cabbage lines found total glucosinolates of 19.7 to 67.8 µmol per gram dry weight, about 73% of them the aliphatic type. [8] Amounts differ by variety. A 2026 review argues that glucosinolate content alone is a poor guide to health value, because what the body gets depends on conversion to isothiocyanates, which varies with processing and gut factors. [17] This is plant-chemistry and review evidence, not a proven health effect.


• Anthocyanins give red cabbage its purple color. The red cabbage work we read in 2026 was a lab study of extracts, which found the pigments can be stabilized for use in foods; it did not test health effects in people. [9] Proper evidence not found for red cabbage anthocyanins improving health outcomes in people in the sources we read.

What research says

Eaten as food vs taken as a supplement or extract. Nearly all the human data above concern cabbage or related vegetables as food, or leaves used on the skin. Concentrated glucosinolate or sulforaphane products are separate products with their own questions; see sulforaphane and glucosinolates. Results from extracts and lab studies do not transfer to a plate of cabbage.

How much is a normal serving

• The USDA household portion for raw cabbage is 1 cup chopped (89 g) or 1 cup shredded (70 g). [1] This is information, not a prescription.
• The WHO healthy-diet fact sheet (26 January 2026) advises at least 400 g of fruits and vegetables a day for people older than 10. [16] The NHS says 80 g of fresh, canned or frozen vegetables counts as one portion of its 5 A DAY (reviewed 9 June 2026). [16]
• Cooking: a 2026 review says processing such as cooking changes glucosinolate breakdown and isothiocyanate formation, but we did not find a source that says which way is better for health. [10][17] See fresh, frozen and canned produce.

Safety, allergy and medicines

• Warfarin and other blood thinners: cabbage contains vitamin K. MedlinePlus lists cabbage among foods with vitamin K and says to keep intake fairly steady, because sudden changes can change warfarin's effect. [4] The NHS says you do not need to avoid vitamin K vegetables but should ask your warfarin clinic. [5] See foods and medicine interactions.
• Thyroid (goitrogens): some glucosinolate breakdown products (goitrin, thiocyanate) can reduce thyroid iodine uptake in theory. A review found collards, Brussels sprouts and some kale have enough goitrin to matter in theory, and judged the risk from thiocyanate minimal. [7] It did not single out cabbage. The 2024 systematic review found no adverse thyroid effect from eating brassica vegetables, especially with adequate iodine. [6] People with thyroid disease or iodine deficiency should ask a clinician; see thyroid conditions and iodine.
• Gas: we found no study that measured gas from cabbage itself. [14] Fiber foods can cause gas in some people; see how much fiber and side effects.
• Breastfeeding: LactMed says evidence that mothers eating cabbage causes colic in infants is of low quality. [11]
• Leaf wraps: we found no safety data for cabbage leaves on skin in the sources we read. Broken, infected or very sore breasts need a clinician; see mastitis advice from your provider.
• Allergy: true allergy to cabbage is possible but we did not find a source quantifying it. Seek urgent care for trouble breathing or swelling of the face or throat.

Choosing, storing and food safety

• Wash produce under running water and dry it; the FDA says soap, detergent or commercial produce wash is not recommended, and washing reduces but does not eliminate bacteria. [15]
• Cut away damaged or bruised areas, and refrigerate pre-cut or packaged produce at 40°F or below. [15]

Related pages

• Cruciferous vegetables
• Sulforaphane and glucosinolates
• Sauerkraut
• Kimchi
• Foods and medicine interactions: vitamin K, grapefruit and others
• Foods for gut health and bloating