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Description
Sweet potato plants are low, sprawling, herbaceous and annual plant with alternate, ovate to orbicular, 4-15 cm long and 3-11 cm wide leaves. The tubers of sweet potato are fusiform, elongated subterranean of red, purple, brown, yellow-brown and white color. The flesh can be white, yellow, orange and purplish. They bear sympetalous and purplish flower which are called morning glories. The stems are prostrate, green or purplish, glabrous, trailing about 4 cm long. The plant bears ovoid or depressed globose fruit having 3-7 mm as a diameter which possess 1-4 glabrous seeds.
Health Benefits
1.Sweet potatoes help prevent Vitamin A deficiency
Vitamin A deficiency is a serious issue especially in developing nations around the world. The health repercussions of a vitamin A deficiency are grave and can include decreased resistance to infectious disease, increase in infectious morbidity, dry eyes as well increased mortality for both pregnant and lactating women and their children.
Sweet potatoes are an extremely important source of Vitamin A because they contain high levels of beta-carotene. Beta-carotene is transformed into vitamin A in our livers, with every molecule of beta-carotene producing two molecules of Vitamin A.
2.Sweet potatoes can also help manage diabetes
Purple sweet potato extract are categorized as low to high on the glycemic index scale, and several studies have indicated that it can minimize the occurrence of insuli resistance and low blood sugar levels, as well as high blood sugar in people who are suffering from diabetes.
3.Sweet potatoes can help manage stress levels
Purple potato extract contain a significant amount of magnesium, which is an essential mineral for normal body functioning. One of the most important benefits of magnesium is that it helps reduce stress and anxiety. Studies have shown that an increase in magnesium deficiency in modern diets has resulted in a significant increase in the cases of depression reported across the world. For instance, some controlled studies have indicated that magnesium deficiency increases depression in women experiencing premenstrual symptoms.
4.Sweet potatoes contain anti-inflammatory activity
Purple sweet potato extract contain a significant amount of vitamins, most of which have powerful anti-inflammatory properties. Studies carried out on the purple sweet potato have conclusively shown that the extracts from the vegetable variant had the capability of inhibiting the production of active inflammatory components in the body.
5.Sweet potatoes can help protect/prevent/manage cancer
Studies have also shown that the purple-fleshed sweet potato is especially effective in the fight against cancer. This variation of the sweet potato has elements that are able to inhibit growth of specific cancers that include breast cancer, gastric cancer, and colon cancer by inducing the cell death of these cancer cells. The vegetable's high anthocyanin content is believed to be the reason behind the sweet potato's anti-cancer activity when it comes to gastric and breast cancers.
6.Sweet potatoes can help guard against ulcers
An ulcer occurs when an inflamed tissue is shed from the mucous membrane or from the skin, and it can be quite painful. Studies on animal models have shown that the methanol extract from the root of a sweet potato can protect the gastrointestinal tissues from aspirin-induced ulcers. The results of these studies have proved that the sweet potatoes can be used in the treatment and management of peptic ulcers.
7.Sweet potatoes can help in minimizing the risk of cardiovascular diseases
Oxidation in the body results in complications such as atherosclerosis, which in turn can lead to the development of a number of cardiovascular diseases. Leaf extracts from sweet potatoes were tested and scientists found that the high levels of polyphenols in the leaf extracts were able to suppress oxidation in humans, decreasing the chances of development of cardiovascular disease.
8.Sweet potatoes contain antimicrobial properties
Despite the fact that studies on the antimicrobial properties of purple sweet potato juice extract are limited, a number of scientific reports have concluded that the sweet potato does have some level of antimicrobial activity. Some studies have found that the ethanol and acetone extracts from sweet potato leaves possess antimicrobial properties against bacteria that cause pneumonia, and typhoid.
7.Sweet potatoes can help improve hair and skin
As mentioned above, sweet potatoes are rich in vitamin A. The vegetables are also rich in Vitamin C and Vitamin E. Studies have shown that dietary consumption or supplementation of Vitamin E has the potential of significantly increasing hair numbers in individuals who are suffering from hair loss. This is because Vitamin E contains antioxidant properties that help reduce oxidative stress, a major cause of alopecia.
8.Sweet potatoes are good for digestion
Purple sweet potato extract contain large amounts of fibers, which have long been known for improving the health of the gut as well as digestion. Many laxatives in use today are made from fibers, meaning that consumption of sweet potatoes can increase your intake of fibers needed to promote proper digestion. The high fiber content of the sweet potatoes can also aid in preventing constipation in both children and adults.
9.Sweet potatoes can boost fertility
The high doses of Vitamin A in sweet potatoes makes the vegetable ideal for consumption by women of childbearing age to enhance their fertility. Studies on animal models have shown that Vitamin A plays an integral role in improving reproductive performance. Research has also shown that a deficiency in Vitamin A can lead to secondary infertility in women of childbearing age.
10.Sweet potatoes are important for good vision
Purple sweet potato juice extract contain a lot of vitamin A, and most of us know that vitamin A is good for our vision, but we may not know in exactly which way the vitamin improves our vision. Studies have shown that the vitamin is essential in the formation of the pigments responsible for light absorption. In addition, vitamin A is also essential in maintaining the proper structure of the retina. A deficiency of vitamin A can result in poor vision, and in some instances blindness. Deficiency in the vitamin can also lead to night blindness.
11.Sweet potatoes can help in weight management
Purple sweet potato extract contain soluble and fermentable fiber that increase satiety and offers the body a natural, self-sustaining mechanism for body weight regulation. Studies have shown that one of the major soluble dietary fibers in sweet potatoes, pectin, is effective at reducing food intake , reducing weight gain, and also increasing the activity of satiety hormones in the body.
12.Sweet potatoes are also memory-enhancing foods
Studies have shown that the anthocyanin contained in the purple sweet potato juice extract possess memory enhancing properties. The underlying belief here is that the antioxidant properties of the anthocyanins are what make sweet potatoes memory enhancing agents. |
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