While munching on celery in salads or enjoying it in steaming soups, did you ever think about the risks associated with this green, leafy vegetable? Celery, often a favorite with dieters and health conscious lots, has been making headlines in recent times owing to its role in both preventing, and causing cancers.

Yes, you read that. So, how far are the headlines true? Is it safe to consume celery? This post has the answers. Read on to know more.

How Is Celery Used?

Celery is a plant with long stems and curly leaves at the top. The seeds and fruits are pressed and dried for making oil, and are used as medication. Raw celery is also used in salads, soups, etc. It was used by ancient Greeks for making wine(1). Celery is known for its multiple health benefits like alleviating exhaustion, nervousness, promoting relaxation and blood purification, etc.

Can Celery Cause Cancer?

This is quite a controversial topic, since contemporary studies point out the vegetable’s cancer-fighting properties and possible risks.

1. The Risk Factor:

Celery, like some other vegetables, does contain toxins. It contains toxins like psoralens and goitrogens. Psoralens are found naturally in some other plants as well. They can enhance human skin’s sensitivity to the UV rays of the sun. It may lead to the development of skin rashes and dermatitis in people. Skin pigmentation with pain can also occur at times. The goitrogens can lead to the formation of goiters in the throat, leading to eating problems. More worrisome is the fact that some researchers think psoralens can have potentially carcinogenic effects (2).

As a matter of fact, celery is among those vegetables that contain elevated amounts of pesticides and is susceptible to a mold named mycotoxins. Celeries can also get affected by black mold or aflatoxin(3). It has carcinogenic properties, and consumption of mold affected celery can cause side effects like convulsions, abdominal pain, edema and liver damage.

On top of these, findings of a new study have sparked debate on the safety of celery. The study indicates women undergoing hormone replacement therapy may get cancer from eating celery as it contains pure apigenin – a compound that may lead to the onset of cancerous tumors(4). The finding of this study opposes revelations of several studies that indicated that apigenin actually thwarts the growth of cancerous tumors in the human body.

2. The Contrasting Views:

University of Illinois researchers found out a phytonutrient present in celery named apigenin that can help fight cancer. It is a flavonoid that is also present in Mexican oregano and helps combat some strains of cancer. It is particularly effective in staving off pancreatic cancer, as per the researchers.

The researchers found that applying apigenin to cancer cells and then following it with chemotherapy leads to encouraging results. The study findings were published in the journal of ‘Molecular Nutrition and Food Research’. An earlier study on apigenin published in the journal of ‘Hormones and Cancer’ showed that the compound can slow down the growth rate of breast cancer tumors in rodents. Researchers in China discovered that eating celery thrice a week can reduce the risk of lung cancer 60 percent.

What You Need To Do:

It is quite evident that medical science experts are divided in their views on the role of celery in cancer prevention and its onset. However, there is no denying celery is a vegetable loaded with nutrients and it offers multiple health benefits.

To be on the safe side, ensure that you consume organic and fresh celery and evade the pesticide laden variants. Buy celery without any brown spots to avoid consuming psoralens. You need to wash the celery sticks well under water to get rid of the pesticide residue.

Too much of a good thing too, can turn you sick and blue. Celery, when eaten in moderation, has only good to offer. However, do not let it become an obsession. Consume no more than a few twigs a week, and you will be beaming with good health!

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by Maanasi Radhakrishnan via STYLECRAZE