Benefits of Polyphenols, Natural Compounds from Vegetables and Fruits
You may often hear polyphenols as compounds contained in vegetables and fruits. This compound may often be mentioned when you read about the health benefits of vegetables and fruits. However, what exactly are polyphenols? What are the health benefits of polyphenols?
Polyphenols are one of the important reasons why we should eat vegetables and fruits
Polyphenols are phytochemical compounds that are naturally contained in plants. It is these compounds that give food a variety of colors. Not only that, polyphenols also serve to protect plants from harm.
Not only able to protect plants, polyphenols that enter our body are also able to protect body cells from damage caused by free radicals. That’s why, polyphenols can act as antioxidants in the body.
You can find this compound in fruits, vegetables and cereals naturally. Fruits, such as grapes, apples, pears, cherries, and berries contain polyphenols up to 200-300 milligrams (mg) per 100 grams. An adequate amount can protect your body’s cells from damage. This is one reason why eating lots of vegetables and fruit is so important.
What are the health benefits of polyphenols?
No kidding, the benefits of polyphenols are numerous for health. In fact, according to many studies, regular consumption of foods high in polyphenols for a long time can protect the body from the development of cancer, heart disease, diabetes, osteoporosis and neurodegenerative diseases. For more details, see the complete information below.
1. Prevent the growth of cancer cells
The antioxidants in polyphenols can protect the body from the dangers of free radicals, which can cause cancer. You can get free radicals from anywhere, such as from pollution, cigarette smoke, food, and even your own body also produces free radicals.
Types of polyphenols, such as catechins, lignans, resveratrol, quercetin, and curcumin, have been shown to be anticancer agents. Polyphenols can also be anti-proliferative agents, anti-inflammatory, and prevent oxidation in an effort to prevent cancer.
2. Prevent heart disease
A number of studies have shown that consumption of polyphenols can prevent coronary heart disease, as quoted in the journal Oxidative Medicine and Cellular Longevity. This may be because polyphenols can help improve blood vessel function and help slow blood clotting.
In addition, polyphenols can also be an inhibitor of the oxidation of bad fats, so that the formation of atherosclerosis which is the cause of heart disease can be inhibited. The antioxidant, anti-platelet and anti-inflammatory effects of polyphenols can also help prevent you from developing heart disease.
3. Prevent diabetes
Eating foods that contain polyphenols can make your blood sugar levels more controlled. This is done by polyphenols inhibiting the absorption of glucose in the intestine. Several studies have also reported that polyphenols have antidiabetic properties.
One of them is a study published by Clinical and Experimental Pharmacology and Physiology in 2005, which shows that the catechin-type polyphenol compounds in tea can protect you from developing complications of diabetes. Not only ketekins, other types of polyphenols, such as resveratrol and quercetin can also act as antidiabetic agents.
What foods contain polyphenols?
Polyphenols can be grouped into four types, namely phenolic acids, flavonoids, stilbene (resveratrol), and lignans. Each vegetable and fruit may contain one of the four types of polyphenols. For example, grapes, berries, kiwis, apples, and cherries contain phenolic acids.
Polyphenols are generally found in brightly colored vegetables and fruits, such as red, orange, yellow, purple, white, and green. This is because the polyphenol compounds are responsible for giving fruit and vegetables their color.
Not only vegetables and fruit, other foods such as green tea and dark chocolate also contains polyphenols with the type of flavonoids. These compounds make green tea and dark chocolate beneficial to health. In addition, various nuts also contain polyphenols of different types.
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