Anti-Nutritional Factor of Vegetables and their Effect on Human Body - A Review

Vegetables are well known for their nutritional and medicinal property but some of them contain certain components that are not desirable for human consumption. They are designated as anti-nutritional factors. Plant essentially use these compound as defense mechanisms against Herbivorous, insect pest, pathogens, etc., however, many of them are likely to the human being on consumption. Many popular vegetables cope like tomato, potato, spinach contain toxic compounds capable of apoptosis. Some are again neurotoxin like Choline-esterase inhibitor in pumpkin. Few vegetables even contain HCN which is capable to block the ATP synthesis. In this review, the major anti-nutritional factor in the vegetables and their impact on the body is being discussed.

Vegetables are rich source of vitamin and minarils but many of them also contain antinutrational factor like Saponins, Trypsin inhibitors, HCN etc.

Many important vegetable like tomato, potato, Spinach contains tomatine, Solanine, Saponins respectively and have adverce effect on cell growth and development.