Table of contents:
- Various health problems that sweet potatoes can help
- 1. Diabetes
- 2. Blood pressure
- 3. Cancer
- 4. Immune and anti-inflammatory
- 5. Heart health
- 6. Sight
The health benefits of sweet potatoes are not just limited to making your stomach full. It contains more than 400% of your daily requirement for vitamin A, as well as fiber and potassium in one medium sweet potato. It has more natural sugars than potatoes, but with a smaller number of calories. According to Livescience, one medium sweet potato (130 grams) has 100 calories of calories with zero calories from fat. Various studies suggest increasing consumption of sweet potatoes to reduce various diseases. Let's look at the various health benefits of sweet potatoes in the following.
Various health problems that sweet potatoes can help
1. Diabetes
Sweet potatoes have a low glycemic index scale (the speed at which food becomes blood sugar), and recent research has shown that they can also lower blood sugar and insulin resistance in people with diabetes. The fiber in sweet potatoes also makes a big difference. Research has shown that people with type 1 diabetes who eat a diet high in fiber have lower blood glucose levels. For people with type 2 diabetes, they will have improvements in blood sugar, lipid and insulin levels.
A medium sweet potato has 6 grams of fiber. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend that women eat 21-25 grams of fiber per day and men 30-38 grams per day, which most people don't achieve.
2. Blood pressure
Keeping sodium intake low is essential for lowering blood pressure, but increasing potassium intake is just as important. Medium-sized sweet potato contains 542 mg of potassium. According to the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, less than 2% of adults in the US have met a potassium intake of 4,700 mg per day. In addition, high potassium intake was associated with a 20% reduced risk of death from any cause.
3. Cancer
According to Laura Flores, a nutritionist in San Diego, orange sweet potatoes have been shown to have anti-carcinogenic properties. The NIH also reports that several studies have shown beta-carotene can reduce the risk of breast cancer in premenopausal women and ovarian cancer in postmenopausal women. However, purple sweet potatoes may be more effective at fighting cancer compared to orange sweet potatoes. "Purple sweet potatoes have been shown to have better cancer-fighting abilities, with a positive effect on cancer cell development," said Flores.
Research conducted by the Harvard School of Public Health's Department of Nutrition also says that foods rich in beta-carotene may play an important role in prostate cancer among young men. Beta-carotene has also been shown to have an inverse association with colon cancer development in the Japanese population.
4. Immune and anti-inflammatory
"Because of the color pigment vitamins, sweet potatoes have high anti-inflammatory benefits," says Flores. One sweet potato contains about half the recommended daily intake of vitamin C per day. Vitamins A and E also support a healthy immune system and also strengthen antioxidants to fight disease. While orange sweet potatoes contain more vitamin A, purple sweet potatoes are packed with antioxidant anthocyanins that are responsible for creating red, blue, and purple colors in fruits and vegetables. According to the Linus Pauling Institute, pigment-related antioxidants have anti-inflammatory properties that are beneficial to overall health and also help reduce inflammatory disorders.
5. Heart health
Sweet potatoes are a great source of vitamin B6, which can be devastating homocysteine, a substance that contributes to hardening of the arteries and arteries, according to the Harvard University School of Public Health. The potassium content in sweet potatoes also benefits your heart, as it can lower blood pressure by maintaining fluid balance, as explained by the American Heart Association. Potassium is also an important electrolyte that helps regulate your heart rate.
6. Sight
According to Jill Koury, MD., An ophthalmologist, vitamin A deficiency causes the outer segments of the eye's photoreceptors to deteriorate, thereby impairing normal vision. Taking beta-carotene to make up for a vitamin A deficiency can improve vision. Additionally, the antioxidant vitamins C and E in sweet potatoes have been shown to support eye health and prevent degenerative damage.
