Consumption of Cruciferous Foods, Ingestion of Glucosinolates and Goiter in a Region of Eastern Algeria

This study is about the estimation of the consumption of cruciferous vegetables, and the search for a possible relationship between the ingestion of glucosinolates provided by these foods and the emergence of endemic goiter. A prospective cohort survey was carried out on 1098 subjects residing in the district of EL-MILIA (Algeria) where endemic goiter is known to estimate the consumption of crucifers. Total glucosinolates levels in cruciferous vegetables, cabbage, cauliflower, fresh and cooked turnip and radish were determined by the glucose release method. The goiter was detected by clinical investigation. Both various fresh and cooked cruciferous vegetables have the same total glucosinolates levels as reported in other studies. The prevalence of endemic goiter was 17.5 %. The average consumption of crucifers was 380.30 g per person a week, i.e. 54.32 g per person a day, and the weekly ingestion of glucosinolates per person was 369.4 μmoles, or 52.7 μmoles per day. No dependence was observed between the consumption of glucosinolates and the disease in general. However, isolated stage 2 and 3 of goiter were dependent on the consumption of glucosinolates ; stage 1 was not related to the disease. Despite the current consumption, at EL-MILIA, we estimate that glucosinolate’s ingestion does not cause goiter, but may worsen the condition of subjects already affected.