The effect and function of sweet potato
1. Sweet potato is good for the heart
Sweet potatoes are rich in potassium, beta-carotene, folic acid, vitamin C, and vitamin B6. These five ingredients help prevent cardiovascular disease. Potassium helps balance fluids and electrolytes in human cells, maintaining normal blood pressure and heart function. Beta-carotene and vitamin C have anti-lipid oxidation and prevent atherosclerosis. Folic acid supplementation and vitamin B6 help reduce blood homocysteine ​​levels, which damage the arteries and are an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease.
2. Sweet potato has anti-diabetic effect
Japanese researchers found that obese diabetic rats in the white-sweet sweet potato after 4 weeks, 6 weeks after the blood insulin levels were reduced by 26%, 60%; and found that sweet potato can effectively inhibit diabetes after oral administration of glucose glucose levels in obese rats High; eating sweet potatoes can also reduce the level of triglyceride and free fatty acids in diabetic rats; studies suggest that white sweet potatoes have a certain anti-diabetic effect. A clinical study at the University of Vienna, Austria, found that patients with type 2 diabetes have improved insulin sensitivity after taking white sweet potato extract, which helps control blood sugar.
Sweet potato has been used by nutritionists as a kind of medicine and food with balanced nutrition. Its calories are only one third of the calories produced by the same weight of rice, and it is almost free of fat and cholesterol. Eat sweet potatoes is good for human health, and have some weight loss. But eat sweet potatoes do not eat too much, so as to avoid heartburn, back to acid or abdominal distension and other abdominal discomfort symptoms.
3. Sweet potato prevents emphysema
An animal experiment at the University of Kansas found that smoking rats have low levels of vitamin A in the body and are prone to emphysema, and the incidence of emphysema is significantly reduced in smoking rats fed foods rich in vitamin A. Why do some long-term smokers live above the age of 90 without emphysema may be related to the rich vitamin A content in their daily diet? The researchers suggest that those smokers or passive smokers are advised to eat vitamin A rich foods such as sweet potatoes daily to prevent emphysema.
4. Sweet potato has anti-cancer effect
The most nutritious substances in the diet are β-carotene (vitamin A precursor), vitamin C and folic acid, and the three are rich in sweet potato. A small sweet potato (about 2 doubles) can provide 2 times the amount of vitamin A needed by the human body daily, a third of the required amount of vitamin C daily, and about 50 micrograms of folic acid; the content of dietary fiber is higher than that of a bowl of oatmeal . The antioxidant effects of β-carotene and vitamin C help to resist the damage of oxidative stress on DNA, and play a role in anti-cancer.
Eating sweet potatoes helps maintain normal folic acid levels in the body. Too low folic acid levels in the body can increase the risk of cancer. The high content of dietary fiber in sweet potato promotes gastrointestinal motility and prevents constipation and colorectal cancer.
5. Sweet potatoes have a weight loss effect.
Many girls who love beauty feel that sweet potatoes are very sweet. They fear that eating too much will make them fat. However, research shows that sweet potatoes are low-fat and low-calorie foods, and they can effectively prevent sugar from becoming fat, which is beneficial to weight loss and fitness, and prevent sub-health and laxatives. Detoxification.
6. Sweet potatoes are longevity foods.
China has two longevity hometowns. The reason is that farmers in both regions often use sweet potato as a staple food; at present, Japan, the United States, and other countries have used sweet potato as an auxiliary food for infants and young children; sweet potato contains an estrogen-like substance. , It has a certain effect on protecting human skin and delaying aging.
Eat sweet potatoes should pay attention to science
One should not be eaten raw, because the starchy cell membrane of raw sweet potato is not destroyed by high temperature and difficult to digest;
Second, we must properly extend the cooking time, so that it contains the "gasification enzyme" is destroyed, eating will not appear abdominal distension, heartburn, snoring, nausea, exhaust discomfort.
The third is to eat with rice, can play a complementary role of protein; four can be mixed with pickles or fresh radish, etc., can reduce gastric acid production.