Cucumbers have probably the most neutral taste of all veggies. They are extremely high in water, but also in many vital nutrients and plant compounds which can help prevent and treat many health problems.
Another plus is that they are low in calories while containing a good amount of soluble fiber. This makes them the ideal food choice for everyone who wants to lose weight and hydrate their body.
Moreover, cucumbers are high in vitamin C, B, K, potassium, manganese, and copper, so they help prevent nutrient deficiencies.
Their high antioxidant content helps prevent free radical damage – associated with aging, heart, cancer, lungs, and autoimmune disease.
Here are the best health benefits you’ll get by eating more cucumbers.
Health Benefits of Cucumbers
1. Fight Inflammation
This vegetable helps relieve inflammation in the body. In fact, animal research shows that cucumber extract can help lower harmful inflammation by preventing pro-inflammatory enzyme activity.
This is quite important as inflammation is related to many chronic conditions like arthritis and diabetes.
2. Protect the Brain
Fisetin is an anti-inflammatory flavonol found in cucumbers that supports brain health. Besides preventing the age-related decline of nerve cells, it also improves memory.
What’s more, animal research showed that it could avoid impairments of learning and progressive memory related to Alzheimer’s.
3. Protect Against Cancer
Pinoresinol, secoisolariciresinol, and lariciresinol are polyphenols found in cucumbers. According to studies, they help reduce the risk of uterine, breast, prostate, and ovarian cancer. What’s more, cucumbers contain cucurbitacins – phytonutrients that provide anti-cancer effects.
4. Manage Stress
B vitamins help reduce some of the stress’s damaging effects and relieve feelings of anxiety. Luckily, cucumbers are loaded with multiple B vitamins, such as B1, B5, and B7.
5. Antioxidant Properties
Besides beta-carotene and vitamin C, cucumbers contain other antioxidant flavonoids like luteolin, apigenin, kaempferol, and apigenin. They are all extremely beneficial as they can help reduce the risk of heart disease and other chronic diseases.
6. Improve Digestion
The content of cucumbers, which is mostly water and fiber, is perfect for healthy digestion. Add some cucumber to our salad or juice to get the daily requirement of fiber.
What’s more, the water-rich cucumbers may act as water by increasing the stomach pH temporarily, thus suppressing the acid reflux symptoms.
Also, the skin of cucumbers is rich in insoluble fiber which increases the size of your stool. This enables quick and thorough elimination.
7. Freshen Our Breath
We can put a slice of cucumber on the roof of our mouth to remove the odor-causing bacteria in our mouth. Also, consuming cucumbers can help treat the culprit of bad breath by releasing the excess heat in the stomach.
8. Support Heart Health
Cucumbers are an excellent source of potassium which is related to lower blood pressure levels. In fact, a proper potassium balance in and out of our body cells is important for healthy bodily functions.
Muscle contractions, nerve signals, and healthy heart function needs potassium in and out of our cells. So, since cucumbers are abundant in this mineral, we can increase their intake to support our heart health.
9. Maintain a Healthy Weight
The soluble fiber makes cucumbers a filling snack without adding calories. In fact, one cup of cucumber slices has only 16 calories. So, we’ll feel full for longer, thus reducing our appetite and maintaining an optimal weight.
10. Reduce Blood Glucose
According to many test-tube and animal studies, cucumbers could help lower blood glucose levels and protect against diabetes complications. One animal research showed that this vegetable can help lower and control blood glucose levels.
Another mice research proved that cucumber peel extract lowers blood sugar levels and reverses many complications of diabetes.
Also, a test-tube study discovered that this vegetable can help reduce oxidative stress and prevent complications related to diabetes.
Still, more research is needed to show the effects of cucumbers on human blood glucose.
Even if these effects are still not proven, we can still say cucumbers are a good food choice for people with diabetes for several reasons that we already mentioned. Those include:
- The ability to reduce inflammation – since diabetes is linked to increased systemic inflammation
- Managing stress – stress is a risk factor for blood sugar spikes
- Supporting cardiovascular health – diabetes complications include cardiovascular problems
- Aiding the weight loss process – maintaining an optimal weight is crucial for proper diabetes management and reducing the risk of many complications.
