Watercress Benefits
The health benefits of watercress include providing nutrition, boosting immunity, cancer prevention, and thyroid support. These health benefits begin with a single serving of watercress as a dietary supplement.
What Is Watercress?
Watercress, a mineral-rich green leafy vegetable, is a cruciferous plant grown for centuries. The nutritious watercress falls under the Brassicaceae family. Its health benefits are obtained from the high content of vitamins and minerals. And, also due to the antioxidant properties of the phytochemical structure of watercress plant.
Watercress Nutrition Facts
Watercress contains more vitamin C than an orange, more calciumthan milk, more iron than spinach and more folate than bananas. The phytonutrients are where the health benefits of watercress are contained. Watercress contains vitamin A, vitamin B6, vitamin B12, iron, magnesium, calcium, and phosphorus which are required for a healthy body.
Watercress Health Benefits
The major health benefits of watercress are discussed in detail below.
Improve Cardiovascular Health
In addition to the nutrient content of watercress, it also has many secondary metabolites that may help lower risk of various chronic diseases. Cruciferous plants like watercress are shown to be beneficial in lowering LDL-Cholesterol, which reduces the risk of cardiovascular diseases such as arteriosclerosis and other chronic heart diseases. Watercress contains vitamin C which works as an antioxidant and helps in reducing heart tissue damage caused by oxidative stress. Vitamin C is an active component in the process of embryonic cells developing into cardiac myocytes and improving heart health.
Prevent Colorectal Cancer
Although studies have shown mixed results, many have concluded that the dietary intake of folate as part of a daily diet may act as a preventive against colorectal cancer. This benefit was massive when folate was taken for 15 years or more.
Rich in Vitamin C Content
Vitamin C is a water-soluble vitamin which indicates that it is excreted through urinary excretion on a daily basis. Both, dietary and supplemental daily intake benefits in preventing diseases and treating many physiological systems, when vitamin C is found in high concentration in the blood. Watercress contains higher amount of vitamin C than an orange and is beneficial to providing and maintaining blood levels.
Intake of vitamin C rich food such as watercress is beneficial in reducing the risk of blood cell damage and a common cold.
Helps in Pregnancy
Folate is important for the development of a healthy embryo as it plays a crucial role in a normal cellular division. Additionally, consumption of at least 400mcg of folate daily by pregnant women is shown to reduce the incidence of neural tube deficiency. Watercress with its high content of folate may help in reducing the risk of these ailments.
Rich in Folate Content
Folate is an essential nutrient that plays a role in preventing birth defects and in daily health maintenance. Folate levels are affected by alcohol consumption. A diet rich in folate containing food such as watercress and other cruciferous vegetables can be preventive and even resolve certain health conditions.
Intake of folate-containing food may help in reducing the risk of depression, stroke, breast cancer, colorectal cancer, osteoporosis, cognitive decline and neural tube deficiency in babies.
Reduce Oxidative Damage to Blood Cells
A research study suggests that vitamin C along with vitamin E is effective in reducing oxidative damage to red blood cells. Though the study is based on supplements, it is also suggested that consumption of foods such as watercress with these nutrients may be beneficial to health.
Improve Brain Health
Consumption of vitamin C rich foods may be beneficial in preventing cognition changes related to Alzheimer’s and aging and protecting and repairing brain tissues. It also works to reduce bleeding when the stroke has occurred. Other results have shown that those having sustained traumatic head injury often have lower blood concentrations of vitamin C. These studies suggest that daily intake of vitamin C rich food such as watercress may benefit in preventing damage and improving the outcomes of brain injury. In fact, high concentration of vitamin C may play a role in neuron building activity.
Relieve Pediatric Asthma
A study of children suffering from asthma showed results of significantly increased forced expiratory volume (FEV) with vitamin C of at least 0.2g daily. These results varied with each child’s history of mold and dampness exposure.Those having no exposure to 37% increase and those with exposure, saw a 21% increase of FEV per second. Intake of food such as watercress may provide relief from pediatric asthma.
Improve Eyesight
A European study suggests that vitamin C might be effective in reducing the risk of cataract development. An inclusion of watercress with a good amount of vitamin C may be beneficial in protection against cataract.
Prevent Cognitive Disorders
Folate may act as a preventive against cognitive decline. Results of a study, of males aged 50 -70 years of age, showed that participants given 800 mcg of folate daily were shown to have a beneficial effect on cognition and verbal fluency. An inclusion of watercress which has a high folate content may protect against the cognitive decline.
Prevent Stroke
A cross-sectional study of 662 adults showed beneficial results of foods fortified with folate in preventing stroke. If not eating fortified foods, large amounts of folate containing foods such as watercress needs to be consumed in order to reach the same level of beneficial nutrient status.
Acts as Antidepressant
Low folate levels may be caused by a lack of dietary intake or excessive alcohol intake. A meta-analysis of 19 studies, inclusive of 15,315 participants, showed that low folate level increases the risk of depression. Folate works with the neurotransmitters, pathways of the central nervous system, affecting production of neurochemicals such as serotonin. With depression affecting a significant percentage of the world population, the addition of food with high folate content such as watercress is an important dietary supplement in reducing the risk of this chronic disease.
