Health Benefits of Asparagus

Asparagus provides an array of nutrients and health benefits.

Asparagus is a versatile, nutrition-packed vegetable that can be served as a tasty side dish or the star ingredient in a main course.

"Asparagus has a sweet, nutty flavor and is more than just delicious," says Lana Nasrallah, a clinical dietitian with UNC Health Care, a not-for-profit integrated health care system based in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. In addition to being tasty, the vegetable provides a wealth of health benefits. Asparagus is good for digestive and cardiovascular health and has nutrients that help ward off chronic diseases like cancer and heart disease, Nasrallah says.

Asparagus is a good source of an array of nutrients, including:

-- Vitamin A.

-- Vitamin C.

-- Vitamin E.

-- Vitamin K.

-- Fiber.

-- Folate.

Here are nine health benefits of asparagus:

1. Chronic disease prevention

Asparagus is packed with antioxidants, compounds found in plant foods that research suggests can help keep free radicals in check and therefore ward off some chronic diseases, Nasrallah says. Free radicals are associated with cancer and cardiovascular disease.

The vegetable also contains beta carotene, a red-orange pigment that the body converts into vitamin A. This vitamin, also known as retinol, is important to maintain good vision.

2. Improved regularity

One cup of asparagus contains about 3 grams of fiber, which is crucial for good digestion and satiety, says Maggie Michalczyk, a registered dietitian based in Chicago.

The Food and Drug Administration recommends that adult men up to age 50 consume 38 grams of fiber daily. The FDA recommends that women in that age group get 25 grams of fiber daily. Men and women above age 50 should get 30 and 21 grams of fiber, respectively, the FDA recommends.

"Fiber is necessary for good digestion and satiety, so adding these green stalks to your plate can help fill you up in a healthy way," Michalczyk says.

3. Better overall digestive tract function

In addition to providing dietary fiber, asparagus contains other nutrients that boost your digestive system, Nasrallah says.

The vegetable contains prebiotic compounds, like inulin, non-digestible, naturally occurring substances in food. These compounds help the growth of good bacteria flourish in your gut.

"Having enough good bacteria in your gut can boost nutrient absorption, and improve your digestive health and immune system," Nasrallah says.

4. Positive diuretic effects

Asparagus contains compounds that can increase the excretion of water from the body, promote the production of urine and help manage bloating, Nasrallah says.

"Essentially, eating asparagus can help you urinate and drive out excess salt and fluid from your body," Nasrallah says. "The nutrients in asparagus can be helpful for people who have high blood pressure or need to keep an eye on their sodium intake."

5. Improved pregnancy health

Asparagus is a great source of folate, a B vitamin. Its folate content makes it one of the best vegetables to eat during pregnancy.

"Folate is an essential nutrient during pregnancy since it helps promote and maintain cellular growth," Nasrallah says. A cup of cooked or boiled asparagus contains a little more than 134 micrograms of folate.

Folate is also known as vitamin B9. Pregnant women should consume between 400 and 800 micrograms of vitamin B9 on a daily basis, according to the American Pregnancy Association. Four boiled spears of asparagus contain 89 micrograms of the vitamin, according to the National Institutes of Health.

Getting enough folate during pregnancy can help decrease the risk of neural tube defects -- that is, birth abnormalities -- like spina bifida.

6. Improved blood clotting

A half-cup of cooked or boiled asparagus has about 45 micrograms of vitamin K. That's 50% and 37% of the amount adult women and men should consume on a daily basis, respectively, according to the NIH. Youngsters need less of the vitamin; between the ages of 4 and 18, kids should get between 55 and 75 micrograms of vitamin K daily.

"Vitamin K is a dependent protein vital to the blood clotting process," says Jacob Meyers, a registered dietitian with Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Alliance in Fort Worth, Texas. "The purpose of blood clotting is to prevent excessive bleeding."

The vitamin is also associated with strong bones. "Vitamin K helps to maintain bone health through bone formation and bone remodeling," he says. "Bone remodeling is the process of removing 'old' and creating 'new' bone." Consuming inadequate levels of the vitamin could lead to low bone density and a greater risk of fracture.

7. Better blood glucose control

Consuming asparagus can help improve your blood glucose levels and help manage diabetes, Meyers says. The fiber in asparagus is beneficial for managing:

-- Prediabetes.

-- Type 1 diabetes.

-- Type 2 diabetes.

-- Gestational diabetes.

"Non-starchy vegetables should be an important part of any diabetes meal plan," Meyers says.

8. Cell protection

Asparagus contains a mineral, selenium, and a protein, glutathione, that may help protect cells from damage and reduce chronic disease, says Beth Stark, a registered dietitian and nutrition consultant based in Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania.

Selenium plays an important role in thyroid hormone metabolism, which means protecting your cells from oxidative damage and DNA synthesis, according to the NIH.

Glutathione helps protect cells from free radicals, which are associated with chronic diseases like Alzheimer's, cancer and diabetes.

9. Better blood pressure

Because it's a good source of potassium, asparagus may help counteract the effects of sodium in your diet to promote healthy blood pressure, Stark says.

A cup of cooked asparagus contains 400 milligrams of potassium, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The recommended adequate potassium intake for men and women age 19 and older are 3,400 milligrams and 2,600 milligrams a day, respectively, according to the NIH. The recommended daily intake is lower for youngsters.

"Potassium also helps to ease tension in your blood walls, which helps to further lower blood pressure," Stark says.

To recap, here are 9 health benefits of asparagus:

-- Chronic disease prevention.

-- Improved regularity.

-- Better overall digestive tract function.

-- Positive diuretic effects.

-- Improved pregnancy health.

-- Improved blood clotting.

-- Better blood glucose control.

-- Cell protection.

-- Better blood pressure.

How to Protect Yourself from Coronavirus

If you’re in a situation where you need to wash your hands but aren’t able to get to a sink—such as after using public transit—an alcohol-based hand sanitizer containing at least 60 percent alcohol is your next best option. 

With flu still circulating widely in many states, cleaning your hands after being in crowded spaces or after touching surfaces in public areas makes sense, Goodman says, and “hand sanitizer is a good, portable way to meet that need.” 

Along with washing or cleaning your hands, try to avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth.

“Sometimes you can arbitrarily pick up germs in between hand hygiene cleaning, so it’s key to try to keep your hands away from your face and eyes,” says Connie Steed, M.S.N., R.N., president of the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC). That’s how viruses can get from your hands into your system, making you sick.

Is Apple Cider Vinegar Good For Alzheimer’s Disease?

In addition to its use as an ingredient in cooking, apple cider vinegar is a popular “natural remedy” for a number of health concerns.

But can it help with Alzheimer’s disease? In short, the answer is no.

“Apple cider vinegar has been around for thousands of years as a food additive,” says Vanessa , RD, a nutritionist based in Hoboken, New Jersey. “But there’s no evidence this supplement helps adults with Alzheimer’s.”

Indeed, as Ashok K. Shetty, PhD, the associate director of the Institute for Regenerative Medicine at Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas, notes, a search on PubMed, a database of published, peer-reviewed medical and scientific studies, using the keywords “apple cider vinegar” and “Alzheimer’s disease” yields zero results.

“What that means is, the scientific evidence is not there in support of apple cider vinegar,” Dr. Shetty says.

What Is Apple Cider Vinegar?

Apple cider vinegar is made from apples that have been crushed and fermented, and it can be consumed in small quantities or taken as a supplement.

The high levels of acetic acid in apple cider vinegar may be what gives the product its health benefits — although in many instances, those benefits are unclear or unproven.

Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive and devastating neuron degenerative disorder that causes memory loss and confusion. According to the Mayo Clinic, recent research has linked the condition with type 2 diabetes, a form of diabetes in which the body doesn’t process the hormone insulin properly, resulting in hyperglycemia, or high blood sugar.

Although the relationship between Alzheimer’s and type 2 diabetes isn’t fully understood, it’s thought that type 2 diabetes affects the ability of the brain and other body tissues to use sugar and process insulin.

RELATED: Why Some Researchers Are Calling Alzheimer’s Disease a ‘Type 3 Diabetes’

Does Apple Cider Vinegar Lower Blood Sugar?

A few studies have suggested that consuming small amounts of vinegar may have beneficial effects on blood sugar levels.

For example, in a study published in the journal Diabetes Care, participants with insulin resistance but not type 2 diabetes who consumed 20 grams (roughly 5 teaspoons) of apple cider vinegar right before a high-carbohydrate meal improved their insulin sensitivity in the hour after the meal. The vinegar only slightly improved one-hour insulin sensitivity in subjects diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. It’s worth noting that the study was very small, including only 11 subjects with insulin resistance and 10 with type 2 diabetes, and each subject consumed the vinegar and then the meal only once.

Similarly, in another study published in Diabetes Care, four men and seven women with well-controlled type 2 diabetes consumed either 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar or water at bedtime, along with 1 ounce of cheese. Both groups saw slightly lowered fasting glucose levels in the morning, with the vinegar group seeing a 4 percent reduction, compared with 2 percent in the water group.

And a meta-analysis published in May 2017 in the journal Diabetes Research and Clinical Practice found that in the studies included in the analysis, vinegar did reduce postprandial (after-meal) blood sugar levels. But the authors noted that they found few eligible studies to include in their analysis, and most had very few participants.

Ultimately, while the possibility that a common and inexpensive ingredient like apple cider vinegar could improve type 2 diabetes control is intriguing, it is far from proven that it does.

What to Know Before You Try Apple Cider Vinegar

“High blood sugar can be a problem in people who don't have diabetes, and it’s believed to be a major cause of various chronic diseases such as Alzheimer’s,” Rissetto explains. “Pretty much everyone can benefit from keeping their blood sugar levels in the normal range, and the most effective and healthiest way to do that is to avoid refined carbs and sugar.”

If you wish to flavor your food with apple cider vinegar, that’s fine, but don’t expect it to have any significant effect on your blood sugar.

As always, before making any major changes to your diet or starting nutritional supplements, including apple cider vinegar, Rissetto emphasizes that you should talk to your doctor — whatever your reason for making the change.

“It’s always a good idea to speak to your physician, because we need to make sure there are no drug and nutrient interactions with whatever you might be taking,” she says.

Wood Apple Health Benefits: Here's Why THIS Fruit Is Good For Diabetic People

Wood apple is a fruit that has some other names like elephant apple, monkey fruit, etc. For being the favorite food of elephants, it has been named as elephant food. This fruit is considered to be sacred in Hindu traditions and is also used as an offering to the god. This fruit which is widely cultivated and eaten in India comes with numerous health benefits. It's rich in nutrients, vitamins and organic compounds like tannin, calcium, phosphorus, fiber, protein and iron. 

Check out the health benefits of wood apple fruit right below:

Promotes Healthy Digestion Process

Wood apple is highly beneficial to combat digestive disorders. It can help to cure ulcers or piles as the fruit contains tanning that can reduce inflammation. The fruit comes with laxative property which can ease constipation and the pain caused by it. The anti fungal and anti parasitic properties of this fruit can be good for making the digestive system healthy.

Good for Blood Purification

Wood apple trees are also good for blood purification process that can effectively remove toxins from the blood.

He deficiency of Vitamin C causes scurvy, which is a life-threatening condition. So, wood apple fruit, which is rich in Vitamin C, gives relief from the development of scurvy. This can also boost the immune system to protect us from getting microbial or viral infections. 

Good for Diabetic People

The 'veronica gum' present in the trunk and branches of the wood apple tree is good for diabetic people as it can control the flow and secretion of sugar level in blood. By regulating the insulin and glucose levels, the fruit prevents spikes and plunges in our body. 

Wood apple fruit can cure minor respiratory problems and sore throat and cough. It can help to loosen phlegm and eliminate the build-up in the respiratory system. 

Boosts Energy and Good for Kidney

Wood apple provides calories and high proteins that help any wound to heal faster and muscles to become stronger thus boosting energy. People with kidney problems are recommended to have wood apple fruit regularly as this comes with detoxifying powers to protect the kidney from disorders. 

In Ayurveda treatments, wood apple plants are used to provide relief from the snakebites. The pulp of the fruit is also used as protection from malaria. 

How to Eat Wood Apple Fruit

This fruit can be consumed as a ripe fruit or in the form of juice. The ripe wood apple is used to make the drink called wood apple milk. It can also be consumed as custard with sugar or honey. The raw wood apple is used to make chutney and the leaves of this fruit are a good ingredient for salads.