The Health Benefits of Lettuce
Health Benefits of Lettuce
Lettuce leaves are one of the very low-calorie green vegetables. 100 g fresh greens provide just 15 calories. Nonetheless, they are the storehouse of many phytonutrients that possess health promoting and disease prevention properties.
Vitamins in lettuce are plentiful. Its fresh leaves are an excellent source of several Vitamin-A and ß-carotenes. Just 100 g of fresh, raw-lettuce provides 247% of daily vitamin A, and 4443 µg of ß-carotene (Carotenes convert into vitamin-A in the body; 2 µg of carotene is considered equivalent to 1 IU of vitamin-A). These compounds have antioxidant properties. Vitamin A is required for maintaining healthy mucosa and skin and is also essential for vision. Consumption of natural fruits and vegetables rich in flavonoids helps to protect the body from lung and oral cavity cancers.
It is a rich source of vitamin-K. Vitamin-K has a potential role in the bone metabolism where it thought to increase bone mass by promoting osteoblastic activity in the bone cells. It also has an established role in the Alzheimer's disease patients by limiting neuronal damage in the brain.
Fresh leaves contain good amounts folates and vitamin C. Folates are part of co-factors in the enzyme metabolism required for DNA synthesis and therefore, play a vital role in the prevention of the neural tube defects in the baby (fetus) during pregnancy.
Vitamin C is a powerful natural antioxidant; regular consumption of foods rich in vitamin-C helps the body develop resistance against infectious agents and scavenge harmful, pro-inflammatory free radicals.
Zeaxanthin (1730 µg per 100 g), an important dietary carotenoid in lettuce, is selectively absorbed into the retinal macula lutea, where it thought to provide antioxidant and filter UV rays damaging the retina. Diet rich in xanthin and carotenes is believed to offer some protection against age-related macular disease (ARMD) in the older adults.
It also contains healthy amounts of minerals like iron, calcium, magnesium, and potassium, which are very much essential for body metabolism. Potassium is an important component of cell and body fluids that helps controlling heart rate and blood pressure. The body uses manganese as a co-factor for the antioxidant enzyme, superoxide dismutase. Copper required in the production of red blood cells. Iron is essential for red blood cell formation.
It is rich in the B-complex group of vitamins like thiamin, vitamin B-6 (pyridoxine), riboflavins.
Regular inclusion of lettuce in salads is known to prevent osteoporosis, iron-deficiency anemia, and believed to protect from cardiovascular diseases, ARMD, Alzheimer's disease and cancers.
It was originally cultivated in ancient Egypt for the extraction of oil from its seeds. There is evidence of the plant appearing as early as 2680 BC.
It also appears in various medieval writings from 1098 to 1179 and is specifically mentioned as a medicinal herb. Lettuce traveled from Europe to the Americas with Christopher Columbus in the late 15th century. And books published in the mid 18th and early 19th centuries spoke of the various kinds of lettuce found today (we will discuss them too).
No matter how much we know about lettuce, it is incomplete without knowing the nutrients it contains (and the benefits they offer).
Lettuce leaves are one of the very low-calorie green vegetables. 100 g fresh greens provide just 15 calories. Nonetheless, they are the storehouse of many phytonutrients that possess health promoting and disease prevention properties.
Vitamins in lettuce are plentiful. Its fresh leaves are an excellent source of several Vitamin-A and ß-carotenes. Just 100 g of fresh, raw-lettuce provides 247% of daily vitamin A, and 4443 µg of ß-carotene (Carotenes convert into vitamin-A in the body; 2 µg of carotene is considered equivalent to 1 IU of vitamin-A). These compounds have antioxidant properties. Vitamin A is required for maintaining healthy mucosa and skin and is also essential for vision. Consumption of natural fruits and vegetables rich in flavonoids helps to protect the body from lung and oral cavity cancers.
It is a rich source of vitamin-K. Vitamin-K has a potential role in the bone metabolism where it thought to increase bone mass by promoting osteoblastic activity in the bone cells. It also has an established role in the Alzheimer's disease patients by limiting neuronal damage in the brain.
Fresh leaves contain good amounts folates and vitamin C. Folates are part of co-factors in the enzyme metabolism required for DNA synthesis and therefore, play a vital role in the prevention of the neural tube defects in the baby (fetus) during pregnancy.
Vitamin C is a powerful natural antioxidant; regular consumption of foods rich in vitamin-C helps the body develop resistance against infectious agents and scavenge harmful, pro-inflammatory free radicals.
Zeaxanthin (1730 µg per 100 g), an important dietary carotenoid in lettuce, is selectively absorbed into the retinal macula lutea, where it thought to provide antioxidant and filter UV rays damaging the retina. Diet rich in xanthin and carotenes is believed to offer some protection against age-related macular disease (ARMD) in the older adults.
It also contains healthy amounts of minerals like iron, calcium, magnesium, and potassium, which are very much essential for body metabolism. Potassium is an important component of cell and body fluids that helps controlling heart rate and blood pressure. The body uses manganese as a co-factor for the antioxidant enzyme, superoxide dismutase. Copper required in the production of red blood cells. Iron is essential for red blood cell formation.
It is rich in the B-complex group of vitamins like thiamin, vitamin B-6 (pyridoxine), riboflavins.
Regular inclusion of lettuce in salads is known to prevent osteoporosis, iron-deficiency anemia, and believed to protect from cardiovascular diseases, ARMD, Alzheimer's disease and cancers.
It was originally cultivated in ancient Egypt for the extraction of oil from its seeds. There is evidence of the plant appearing as early as 2680 BC.
It also appears in various medieval writings from 1098 to 1179 and is specifically mentioned as a medicinal herb. Lettuce traveled from Europe to the Americas with Christopher Columbus in the late 15th century. And books published in the mid 18th and early 19th centuries spoke of the various kinds of lettuce found today (we will discuss them too).
No matter how much we know about lettuce, it is incomplete without knowing the nutrients it contains (and the benefits they offer).
The Nutritional Profile Of Lettuce
Cholesterol 0 mg 0%
Total fat 0.2 g 0%
Saturated fat 0 g 0%
Polyunsaturated fat 0.1 g
Monounsaturated fat 0 g
Amount Per 1 leaf inner (5 g)
Calories 15
Sodium 28 mg 1%
Potassium 194 mg 5%
Total Carbohydrate 2.9 g 0%
Dietary fiber 1.3 g 5%
Sugar 0.8 g
Protein 1.4 g 2%
Vitamin A 148%
Vitamin C 15%
Calcium 3%
Iron 4%
Vitamin B-6 5%
Vitamin B-12 0%
Magnesium 3%
One cup of lettuce (36 grams) contains just 5 calories and 10 grams of sodium. It doesn’t contain cholesterol or any kind of fat. Other important nutrients include:
5 grams of fiber (2% of the daily value)
5 micrograms of vitamin K (78% of the daily value)
2665 IU of vitamin A (53% of the daily value)
5 milligrams of vitamin C (11% of the daily value)
7 micrograms of folate (3% of the daily value)
3 milligrams of iron (2% of the daily value)
1 milligrams of manganese (5% of the daily value)
The vitamin A in lettuce is in the form of provitamin A carotenoid, which the body converts into retinol to offer the benefits.
Now, let’s see what these nutrients are important for – the benefits.
Cholesterol 0 mg 0%
Total fat 0.2 g 0%
Saturated fat 0 g 0%
Polyunsaturated fat 0.1 g
Monounsaturated fat 0 g
Amount Per 1 leaf inner (5 g)
Calories 15
Sodium 28 mg 1%
Potassium 194 mg 5%
Total Carbohydrate 2.9 g 0%
Dietary fiber 1.3 g 5%
Sugar 0.8 g
Protein 1.4 g 2%
Vitamin A 148%
Vitamin C 15%
Calcium 3%
Iron 4%
Vitamin B-6 5%
Vitamin B-12 0%
Magnesium 3%
One cup of lettuce (36 grams) contains just 5 calories and 10 grams of sodium. It doesn’t contain cholesterol or any kind of fat. Other important nutrients include:
5 grams of fiber (2% of the daily value)
5 micrograms of vitamin K (78% of the daily value)
2665 IU of vitamin A (53% of the daily value)
5 milligrams of vitamin C (11% of the daily value)
7 micrograms of folate (3% of the daily value)
3 milligrams of iron (2% of the daily value)
1 milligrams of manganese (5% of the daily value)
The vitamin A in lettuce is in the form of provitamin A carotenoid, which the body converts into retinol to offer the benefits.
Now, let’s see what these nutrients are important for – the benefits.
To be continue in our next post.......
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