# Cancer and Asparagus **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 7, 2024, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cancer-and-asparagus/1002616 "2024-06-07T22:37:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2024, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cancer-and-asparagus/1002616/1 "2024-06-07T22:37:35Z")
Recently in passing I heard that cancer patients should never eat asparagus because… well, I didn’t hear that part exactly. Some kind of enzyme? Whatever. I have many, many doubts. When attempting to search on this in an idle moment all the hits I got for “cancer and asparagus” were talking about whether or not asparagus can _cure_ cancer. I’m assuming that asparagus has no magical properties and is simply yet another healthy vegetable that people should eat more of on general principles. Nonetheless - what’s the straight dope on asparagus and cancer? Why would people think it was special one way or the other? ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2024, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cancer-and-asparagus/1002616/2 "2024-06-07T22:42:40Z")
I’ve never heard this, and I’ve read a lot about cancer (including holistic medical articles by MDs). ETA: try this: [Asparagus will not give you cancer, scientists plead after massive misunderstanding](https://www.latimes.com/food/sns-dailymeal-1870395-healthy-eating-asparagus-cancer-misunderstanding-020818-20180208-story.html) ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2024, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cancer-and-asparagus/1002616/3 "2024-06-09T04:33:14Z")
No, no, no. It’s Cancer and Sagittarius that don’t get along. ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2024, 7:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cancer-and-asparagus/1002616/4 "2024-06-09T07:46:11Z")
There are various plant compounds that, in theory, could help or harm particular cancers. Probably, most plants contain quite a variety of both of those and a good variety of compounds that have no effect. One of the common compounds, in asparagus, is sarsasapogen: > **[Sarsasapogenin](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarsasapogenin)** > > Sarsasapogenin is a steroidal sapogenin, that is the aglycosidic portion of a plant saponin. It is named after sarsaparilla (Smilax sp.), a family of climbing plants found in subtropical regions. It was one of the first sapogenins to be identified, and the first spirostan steroid to be identified as such. The identification of the spirostan structure, with its ketone spiro acetal functionality, was fundamental in the development of the Marker degradation, which allowed the industrial pro Sarsasap... It doesn’t seem to be noted as affecting any cancers. Another common one is asparagine: > **[Asparagine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asparagine)** > > Asparagine (symbol Asn or N) is an α-amino acid that is used in the biosynthesis of proteins. It contains an α-amino group (which is in the protonated −NH+3 form under biological conditions), an α-carboxylic acid group (which is in the deprotonated −COO− form under biological conditions), and a side chain carboxamide, classifying it as a polar (at physiological pH), aliphatic amino acid. It is non-essential in humans, meaning the body can synthesize it. It is encoded by the codons AAU and AAC. Th... I’m not seeing anything about cancers with that, either. It contains a variety of vitamins. If you’re not getting enough vitamins then that’s going to harm you but, in excess, they generally harm you (except, maybe, C). Excess vitamin intake has been linked to an increased chance of cancer. Asparagus doesn’t seem like the type of food that you’re generally going to find people eating in excess. In general, at a brief glance, I’d just call it “some vegetable”. It doesn’t look to be one of the more notable for potential pharmacological/toxic compound interest. But you’re free to look through everything else in there and see if anything stands out. > **[Chemical constituents of Asparagus](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3249924/)** > > Asparagus species (family Liliaceae) are medicinal plants of temperate Himalayas. They possess a variety of biological properties, such as being antioxidants, immunostimulants, anti-inflammatory, antihepatotoxic, antibacterial, antioxytocic, and...