6 Most Amazing Health Benefits Of Asparagus

If you are someone who enjoys asparagus, we have good news! The distinctive spears of the vegetable aren’t just delicious but could be great for your health too. Discover just how good this delicate vegetable really is for everything from your brain to your heart and much more.

# Works As A Nutrient-Rich, Low-Calorie, Low-Fat Food

Asparagus is chock-full of vitamins and minerals with potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory benefits. Half a cup of boiled asparagus has 1.8 gm of fiber and 3.7 gm of carbs and offers up 45.5 mcg of vitamin K (meeting 37% of the daily value (DV) you require); 6.9 mg of vitamin C (7.6% DV); and 134 µg of folate (33.5% DV). Apart from this, it also has some B vitamins, vitamin A, vitamin E, calcium, magnesium, manganese, selenium, and potassium in it. And all this with just 20 calories per half serving and a mere 0.2 gm of fat.

# Helps With Blood Clotting

Asparagus is a rich dietary source of vitamin K, a nutrient which plays a central role in blood clotting. It is needed for your body to produce proteins involved in blood clotting, so not getting enough might make you prone to bleeding too much when you get hurt. An adequate amount of the vitamin should normally help your blood clot much faster than when you are deficient. Adult men need to consume about 120 mcg a day while adult women need around 90 mcg of vitamin K. Asparagus has 45.5 mcg in half a cup of the boiled spears or about 30.4 mcg in 4 spears, so it will get you to between 25% and 51% of your recommended intake for the day, depending on how much you have and whether you are male or female.

# Lowers Diabetes Risk

For those at risk of developing diabetes, the vegetable may be of particular interest. One study found that asparagus could help improve insulin secretion and beta cell function, both of which are impaired in type 2 diabetes. It could also help reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes. In the animal study, a dosage of 500 mg per kg of weight had antidiabetic effects comparable to glibenclamide, an antidiabetic drug.

# Helps Lower Blood Pressure

Ayurveda has also long viewed asparagus and its extracts and powders as a good diuretic. Asparagus can help increase activity in your kidney, raising the rate at which your body produces urine. As a diuretic, it helps bring down blood pressure levels as well, by reducing the amount of fluid circulating in the body. Fiber may also have a role to play in reducing blood pressure in the system. Since asparagus has good fiber content, it is especially good for keeping that blood pressure in check.

# Has Potential For Treating UTIs

Since asparagus is a natural diuretic, it can help treat urinary tract infections (UTIs) by keeping your body flushed off toxins. Its antimicrobial action against a host of pathogens has led researchers to suggest it as a viable alternative to antibiotics in treating a UTI.9 While the lab study used aqueous extracts of asparagus, you could very well add asparagus to your diet to fend off a UTI.

# May Lower Cholesterol And Help With Weight Loss

Animal studies have found that asparagus helps regulate cholesterol metabolism in the body. In one study, test animals with hypercholesterolemia who were given asparagus root powder saw cholesterol levels in both blood and liver drop. The flavonoids, polyphenols, saponins, and other therapeutic components of the root are believed to account for this ability of the powder to eliminate excess cholesterol and boost antioxidants in the liver, thus protecting it.