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Shakarkandi, also known as sweet potatoes, are nutrient-dense, delicious root vegetables. The sweet potato is creamy and soft enough to be used in various pie recipes, and most people think of it as a dessert ingredient. On the other hand, sweet potatoes have been discovered by scientists to be one of the best sources of Vitamin A. Because of their naturally orange color, sweet potatoes are also high in vitamin B5, riboflavin, niacin, thiamin, and carotenoids.
The shakarkandi contains a lot of nutrients and has a lot of medicinal benefits. According to research, sweet potatoes have anti-inflammatory, anti-diabetic, and anticancer properties. Most sweet potatoes are orange in color, but some are purple, yellow, white, pink, or red. According to some best dieticians in Pakistan, the following are some of the shakarkandi benefits of incorporating it into your regular diet.
15 Surprising Shakarkandi Benefits
Now let’s discuss the fantastic benefits of Shakarkandi; stay here and read it.
1. Help in Digestion
Shakarkandi contains a high concentration of fibers, which have long been known to improve gut health and digestion. Many laxatives are made from fibers, so eating sweet potatoes can help you get more of the fibers you need to promote proper digestion. Shakarkandi’s high fiber content can also help prevent constipation in children and adults.
2. Regulates Blood Pressure
Because it is high in magnesium and potassium, shakarkandi can aid in blood pressure control. According to research, eating more potassium lowers blood pressure, reducing the risk of having a stroke or coronary artery disease. Magnesium is also thought to be a practical dietary component in preventing and reducing hypertension in both pregnant and non-pregnant patients.
3. Help to Manage Cancer
According to research, the purple-fleshed shakarkandi is especially effective in the fight against cancer. This sweet potato variant contains elements that can inhibit the growth of specific cancers such as breast cancer, gastric cancer, and colon cancer by inducing cell death in these cancer cells. The vegetable’s high anthocyanin content is thought to be the reason for its anticancer activity against gastric and breast cancers. Other studies have conclusively demonstrated that extracts from various parts of the sweet potato can induce cell death in prostate cancer cells, preventing cancer from growing and spreading to other parts of the prostate.
4. Prevent Ulcers
An ulcer develops when inflamed tissue sheds from the mucous membrane or the skin, which can be extremely painful. Animal studies have shown that a methanol extract of a shakarkandi root can protect gastrointestinal tissues from aspirin-induced ulcers. These studies show that shakarkandi can be used to treat and manage peptic ulcers. Another study found that the flour in sweet potato roots helped prevent ethanol-related stomach ulceration in animal models.
5. Boost Fertility
Shakarkandi’s high levels of Vitamin A make it ideal for women of childbearing age who want to improve their fertility. Animal studies have revealed that Vitamin A plays a vital role in improving reproductive performance. According to research, a lack of Vitamin A has also been linked to secondary infertility in women of childbearing age. Sweet potatoes also have a good amount of iron, an essential mineral for promoting fertility in women of childbearing age. According to reports, anemia, or iron deficiency, is a cause of infertility in women.
6. Important for Good Vision
Shakarkandi contains a lot of vitamin A, and while most of us are aware that vitamin A is good for our vision, we may not be aware of how the vitamin improves our vision. According to research, the vitamin is required to form the pigments responsible for light absorption. Furthermore, vitamin A is necessary for the proper structure of the retina. A vitamin A deficiency can cause blurred vision and, in some cases, blindness. A vitamin deficiency can also cause night blindness. Furthermore, vitamin A deficiency is related to other eye diseases such as corneal dryness, corneal ulceration, and conjunctivitis.
7. Help in Weight Management
Shakarkandi contains soluble and fermentable fiber, promoting satiety and providing the body with a natural, self-sustaining mechanism for weight regulation. Pectin, one of the central soluble dietary fibers in sweet potatoes, has been shown in studies to reduce food intake, reduce weight gain, and increase the activity of satiety hormones in the body. Scientific studies have also revealed that a higher fiber intake is strongly related to lower body weight. Increased consumption of sweet potatoes will result in increased fiber intake, which will lead to a reduction in body weight.
8. Prevent Vitamin A Deficiency
Vitamin A deficiency is a severe problem, particularly in developing countries. Vitamin A deficiency has serious health consequences, including decreased resistance to infectious disease, increased infectious morbidity, dry eyes, and increased mortality in pregnant and lactating women and their children. For taking the proper amount of this vitamin, book an appointment with the best dieticians.
9. Help to Manage Diabetes
Shakarkandi is classified as low to high on the glycemic index scale. Several studies have shown that it can reduce insulin resistance, low blood sugar levels, and high blood sugar levels in people with diabetes. Unlike other starchy foods, sweet potatoes have a low glycemic index, which means they release sugar into the bloodstream slowly. This steady release of sugar helps individuals control their blood sugar levels so that they do not become too low or too high. As a result, sweet potatoes can control blood sugar levels, particularly in people with diabetes.
10. Manage Stress Levels
Shakarkandi contains a high concentration of magnesium, an essential mineral for normal body function. The most known benefit of magnesium is that it aids in the reduction of stress and anxiety. According to studies, an increase in magnesium deficiency in modern diets has resulted in a significant increase in the number of cases of depression reported worldwide. Some controlled studies, for example, have found that magnesium deficiency increases depression in women experiencing premenstrual symptoms. Magnesium deficiency is linked to depression because it involves cell-mediated immune responses and systemic inflammation.
11. Perform Anti-inflammatory Activity
Shakarkandi is high in vitamins, the majority of which have anti-inflammatory properties. According to studies conducted on the vegetable variant, purple sweet potato extracts were found to inhibit the production of active inflammatory components in the body. Sweet potatoes also have a high concentration of choline, which is a versatile nutrient. One of the most significant advantages of choline is that it reduces inflammatory responses in the body, resulting in less inflammation.
12. Minimize the Risk of Cardiovascular Diseases
Oxidation in the body causes complications like atherosclerosis, which can lead to the development of a variety of cardiovascular diseases. Scientists tested sweet potato leaf extracts and discovered that the high levels of polyphenols in the leaf extracts could suppress oxidation in humans, lowering the risk of developing cardiovascular disease. Other scientific studies have found that the high levels of anthocyanin in purple-fleshed sweet potatoes contribute to the vegetable’s ability to lower the risk of coronary disease.
13. Contain Antimicrobial Properties
Even though research on the antimicrobial properties of shakarkandi is limited, several scientific reports have concluded that sweet potato has some antimicrobial activity. According to some studies, ethanol and acetone extracts of sweet potato leaves have antimicrobial properties against bacteria that cause pneumonia and typhoid. Sweet potato fiber has also been shown to inhibit the growth of foodborne bacteria.
14. Improve Hair and Skin
According to research, consuming or supplementing with Vitamin E can significantly increase the number of hairs in people who are experiencing hair loss. This is due to the antioxidant properties of Vitamin E, which aid in the reduction of oxidative stress, a major cause of alopecia. Vitamin C has long been recognized as an effective dermatological treatment for photoaging and hyperpigmentation. Vitamin C is also effective at reducing the oxidative stress caused by UV light exposure.
15. Memory-enhancing foods
According to research, the anthocyanin found in purple sweet potatoes has memory-enhancing properties. The underlying assumption here is that anthocyanins’ antioxidant properties make shakarkandi memory enhancers.
The Bottom Line
So this was all about shakarkandi benefits and this is how you can use shakarkandi for your physical health. If you face some physical health problems because of an inadequate diet, you may contact a dietician in Lahore.
Book an appointment now to answer all your queries. You can book an appointment with the top nutritionists in Pakistan through Marham by calling the Marham helpline: 0311-1222398 or by online booking facility through the website or Marham mobile app.
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FAQ’s
Is it safe to eat sweet potatoes daily?
This root vegetable’s high mineral content makes it an excellent food for people suffering from lifestyle diseases such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and diabetes, to name a few.
Is Shakarkandi beneficial to the skin?
Sweet potatoes are high in vitamin C, which keeps the skin healthy and strengthens and boosts the immune system to a large extent.
What are the drawbacks of eating sweet potatoes?
Risks. Sweet potatoes are high in potassium. A high potassium intake may not be appropriate for people taking beta-blockers.
Should I stay away from sweet potatoes?
Sweet potatoes have a high oxalate content, which may increase the risk of calcium-oxalate kidney stones. Sweet potatoes contain beta-carotene, and too much of it can cause hypervitaminosis A, in which too much vitamin A accumulates in the liver.
