Wonders of The Vegetable Bin

By Janice M. Horowitz

Take another look in the pantry: it might be a drugstore. Six of the latest hot health foods are common, garden-variety foodstuffs, from garlic to celery and -- sorry, George Bush -- broccoli, that show uncommon potential for preventing cancer, heart disease and other illnesses. Scientists are only beginning to appreciate the way that common plants store potent chemical compounds that may block the body's synthesis of carcinogens or decrease cholesterol levels in the blood. "We're finally catching up with what vegetarians and health-food nuts believed all along," says Jon Michnovicz, medical director of New York City's Institute for Hormone Research. Researchers caution that the effects of all the chemicals in the ordinary wonder foods are not known. Binging on them is definitely not recommended.

CELERY. Long valued (for their low calorie content) as diet food, the green stalks may be even better for the heart. Researchers at the University of Chicago reported in April that rats experienced a 12% to 14% drop in systolic blood pressure and a substantial reduction in cholesterol levels after four weeks on a celery diet. The rodents were injected with a tiny amount of celery extract a day; a 150-lb. human would have to gobble four large stalks for the same proportionate intake. Stalks, however, unlike extract, contain lots of undesirable salt. The cardio-friendly ingredient in celery is a compound called phthalide that may also exert a mild sedative effect on humans.

BROCCOLI. This member of the cabbage family is rich in a little-known substance called indole carbinol, which breaks down estrogen, a hormone that seems to promote the development of certain breast tumors. Scientists believe about a cup of broccoli every other day could contain enough indole carbinol to prevent the growths. So far, research has shown a pronounced effect on mice; preliminary studies are being carried out on 50 women who are at high risk for such cancers. Broccoli and its relatives also contain beta carotene, a substance that could help ward off lung, throat and bladder cancer. The same compound may also reduce the risk of heart attack. Researchers at Harvard Medical School report that men with clogged arteries who were fed beta carotene supplements suffered half as many heart seizures and strokes as did men given placebo pills.

GRAPEFRUIT. Researchers think pectin, the gelling agent found in the peel and white membrane that surround citrus pulp, could also lower cholesterol levels. After 60 days of eating pectin, pigs at the University of Florida showed a marked reduction in blood fat. Preliminary studies indicate that pectin may be useful in treating clogged arteries. The amount of citrus probably needed to produce any results is dauntingly high: the equivalent of two or three grapefruit a day.

FLAXSEED. Long overlooked in U.S. kitchens, flax is a cereal grain containing a type of fatty acid similar to that found in fish oil. The substance, linolenic acid, may inhibit the body's production of prostaglandins, hormone- like substances that can contribute to the formation of tumors. Tests on animals have been promising, but human trials have not yet been conducted. Linolenic acid could also be a potential weapon against asthma, arthritis and psoriasis. Europeans and Canadians consume lots of flaxseed in their bread and cereals. Few U.S. manufacturers bake with the grain.

GARLIC. The "lowly stinking rose" may lower blood pressure slightly and help prevent blood clotting, like aspirin. A recent German study showed marked reduction in blood fats, including cholesterol, among people who consumed the equivalent of one clove of garlic a day. The active compounds are probably the same sulfur derivatives that give garlic its distinctive odor. Other studies suggest that sulfur compounds may suppress the development of stomach cancer in humans and breast cancer in laboratory animals. Garlic does not have to be eaten raw, but deep frying and high heat could destroy its active ingredients. If the idea of fresh garlic is just too malodorous, a German-based company markets a tablet form, which it claims is scent free.

SOYBEANS. A mainstay of Asian cuisines, soybeans can be boiled, canned or processed as bean curd (tofu). Last year researchers at the Bronx Veterans Affairs Medical Center and the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City found that lecithin, which is abundant in soybeans, may help prevent alcoholic cirrhosis of the liver. Isoflavones in the beans have been shown to prevent liver cancer in animals by breaking down toxic agents that can cause the malignancy. A strong word of warning about soy: it also contains protease inhibitors, which have been linked to the development of pancreatic cancer.

With reporting by Michele Donley/Chicago