5 Amazing Benefits of Anchovy for Health • Hello Sehat
Indonesian people are certainly familiar with anchovies. For most people, eating warm rice with fish has become a delicacy in itself. Although mini size, anchovy is rich in nutrients and of course provides benefits for health. Are you curious about the benefits and nutrients? Come on, see the following reviews!
The nutritional content of anchovy
Anchovies have a Latin name Engraulis spp which has a longer body shape and is generally not as big as other fish. Usually, people process anchovies into anchovies sauce, vegetable and anchovies, and anchovy bakwan.
Apart from its delicious taste, anchovy is a favorite food because it is rich in health benefits. In 100 grams of raw anchovy, there are various nutrients, such as:
- Protein: 10.3 grams.
- Fat: 1.4 grams
- Carbs: 4.1 grams.
- Calcium: 972 mg.
- Phosphorus: 253 mg.
- Iron: 3.9 mg.
- Sodium: 554 mg
- Potassium (K): 126.1 mg.
- Copper: 305.20 mg.
- Zinc: 0.2 mg.
- Retinol (vitamin A): 13 mcg.
- Carotene: 28 mcg.
- Thiamin (vitamin B1): 0.24 mg.
- Riboflavin (vitamin B2): 0.10 mg.
- Niacin (vitamin B3): 1.9 mg.
Benefits of anchovy for health
Here are some of the benefits of anchovy:
1. Prevent inflammation
Engraulis spp included in the oily fish class other than salmon or tuna. That is, this fish contains omega 3 fatty acids. The fatty acids in anchovy consist of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), which are useful in preventing inflammation.
Inflammation is actually the body’s response to fighting infection. So, when your body feels a threat from a foreign substance, the immune system will fight back and the result is inflammation.
In the long term, inflammation can increase the risk of various chronic diseases. To prevent inflammation, you can eat foods that contain anti-inflammatory compounds, such as this anchovy.
Apart from anchovies, foods rich in omega 3 fatty acids that you can choose from are tuna, salmon, and mackerel. The omega 3 fatty acids in fish can slow down the production of substances released during the inflammatory response.
2. Maintain heart health
Inflammation that occurs continuously can cause heart disease. This is because inflammation can occur anywhere in your body, including the blood vessels around your heart.
Well, omega 3 fatty acids from anchovy will provide benefits in the form of protection for the heart in several ways, including:
- Maintain a normal heart rhythm thereby reducing the risk of death from sudden heart problems.
- Prevents the clotting of blood platelets which often cause obstruction of blood flow.
- Lowering triglyceride levels by slowing down the rate at which they form in the liver. High levels of triglycerides in the blood increase the risk of heart disease.
- It prevents the formation of plaque in the heart arteries and keeps the lining of the arteries smooth and free from thickening, hardening, or damage.
3. Supports bone health
Every day damaged bone cells will be replaced by new healthy bone cells. This bone formation process in children up to 30 years of age, runs fast. However, after passing that age, the process of forming new bone cells will slow down. This condition causes the elderly to be prone to osteoporosis(bone loss) or fracture (fracture).
In order to prevent these bone problems, you need to eat foods high in calcium. It turns out that the calcium content in anchovy is high enough so that it can benefit your bone health.
Calcium is not the only nutrient that is healthy for bones. There are various minerals in anchovy that also help protect bone health, such as phosphorus, iron, zinc, copper, and potassium.
4. Maintain healthy nerves and muscles
Anchovies contain sodium, which is salt. This nutrition in anchovy provides benefits to control blood pressure and volume. In addition, the body also needs sodium so that the muscles and nerves can work properly.
If the sodium level in your body is low, muscle and nerve performance and blood pressure can be affected. So, sodium is not completely bad for your health, as long as the need does not exceed the limit. If you have hypertension, make sure you don’t choose anchovies.
5. Maintain eye health
Vitamin A is an antioxidant, which plays a role in fighting free radicals that often cause inflammation. Well, vitamin A in anchovy provides benefits for eye health.
First, vitamin A helps form photopigments called rhodopsin photoreceptors. These photopigments are in retinal stem cells that help you to see at night. Therefore, vitamin A has the potential to prevent night blindness.
Second, vitamin A also improves conjunctival and corneal function. The conjunctiva is a thin layer that protects the white area of the eye and produces fluid to keep the cornea from drying out. Meanwhile, the cornea functions to refract (bend) and focus the light that enters the eye.
Tips for safe eating anchovies
The benefits of anchovies do not need to be doubted, you can try various processed anchovy recipes for your daily menu.
It’s just that, if you eat salted anchovies, you should not eat too much of it which can be detrimental to health. This high salt content can cause health problems, such as hypertension.
In people who already have high blood pressure, eating too much salty food can make the condition worse. According to the Harvard School of Public Health, frequent eating salty foods can also harm bones, because they can lead to loss. So, make sure you don’t consume too much salted fish.
Apart from the portions, you also need to pay attention to how to process salted fish. Most people serve salted fish by frying it dry. Even though it becomes more savory, frying the fish makes the fat and cholesterol content higher.
So, you better serve the salted fish by boiling or sauteing it together with vegetables to make it more nutrient-rich. You can also use healthier oils for frying fish, such as olive oil.
Hello Health Group does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.
