Gang Green Nation is fan-central for the New York Jets football team.

But since gangrene is also the name for limb-threatening cell death, fans may have been better off calling their group Jolly Green Jets. 

After all, fresh, frozen and canned vegetables are the real winners.

In fact, your front line of defense against inflammation and colon cancer turns out to be from the giants of green veggies: broccoli, kale, collards, and other cruciferous plants.

Researchers in London have found a couple of health-promoting chemical building blocks contained in those powerful veggie defenders. They're released in your gut when you digest the above-mentioned greens and their teammates: cauliflower, cabbage, and Brussels sprouts.

Once let loose to play in your intestinal tract, they help create a team that encourages your body to regulate inflammation and modulate immune cell activity.

The researchers were amazed to find that when these veggies were fed to mice, they not only prevented colon cancer, but in mice that had colon cancer, they reduced the number and size of tumors, and even made some of them benign.

So do you need another reason to make a healthy serving of these defensive players a big part of your daily diet? Enjoy munching on these Green Giants (dip them in chickpea hummus) when watching football.

At least then you know you'll be a winner.