The health benefits of spinach include heart, brain and eye support, detoxification, metabolic balance and powerful antioxidant protection.
Spinach (Spinacia oleracea) is an annual flowering plant that originated in ancient Persia and was later brought to India and China, where it was known as “Persian herb”. The first written record in China was around 647 BC, and by the 12th century spinach was a popular vegetable in the Arabian Mediterranean. Its popularity in England and France in the 14th century was due to the fact that it appeared in early spring when other vegetables were not available.
They eat spinach leaves. These days, spinach is botanically included in the “cruciferous” family, which also includes beets, chard, amaranth, and quinoa. The name Florentine is given to dishes containing spinach (often with a cream sauce). It is believed to date from the 6th century, when it was the favorite food of Catherine de’ Medici, who came from Florence.
Food
Spinach leaves contain a wide variety of nutrients, including chlorophyll and carotenoids (precursors of vitamin A) and important eye nutrients such as lutein and zeaxanthin. Spinach is also an excellent source of vitamins A, C, K and folic acid – 100 grams of lettuce contains 20 percent of the daily value of these vitamins. It is also a good source of manganese, magnesium, calcium, potassium and iron. Vitamin K is important for maintaining bone health and is especially abundant in spinach leaves.
Spinach is also a source of B vitamins2 and B6vitamin E and dietary fiber. There is some controversy about spinach as a source of iron, as its high levels of oxalic acid inhibit iron absorption and reduce its bioavailability. Calcium absorption is also affected by oxalic acid – only about five percent of the calcium in spinach is actually absorbed.
The dark-green color of spinach indicates a high level of carotenoids and chlorophylls, which have antioxidant and “cleansing” properties.
Healing effect
While spinach is known for its abundance of nutrients, it also contains phytochemicals and bioactive compounds that promote health beyond the basic nutrients (including phenols and nitrates). These compounds have multiple roles in scavenging reactive oxygen species and can alter the expression and activity of genes involved in metabolism, proliferation, and inflammation. They can also limit food intake by stimulating the secretion of satiety hormones. All these activities contribute to the anticancer, antiobesity, hypoglycemic and hypolipidemic properties of the plant.
Spinach has also shown anticonvulsant activity, it reduces metabolic syndrome and diabetes, lowers abnormal blood cholesterol and helps heal wounds. Traditionally, spinach was used to treat anemia and its antibacterial, antiviral and anthelmintic (worm) properties. Let’s look at some specific health benefits of spinach.
Eye health
Lutein and zeaxanthin in spinach are important nutrients for preventing macular degeneration and cataracts.
Central nervous system
Spinach is one of the plants highest in nutrients that improve cognitive function. Phenolic compounds, flavonoids and carotenoids, along with vitamins and minerals, caused an increase in acetylcholine in the hippocampus (the area of the brain responsible for memory and learning) along with neurogenic growth factor, which is important for the repair and restoration of neural circuits in the brain.
In one study of healthy men and women, a diet including extra spinach and a combination of spinach and apples showed that consumption of these flavonoid and high nitrate foods reduced the risk of both cardiovascular disease and cognitive decline.
Cardiovascular system
Flavonoid compounds in spinach increase levels of nitric oxide, which lowers high blood pressure and improves heart muscle function. This pathway improves arterial stiffness, reduces inflammation, and improves platelet function and exercise performance. A diet containing spinach has significant effects on improving cardiovascular (and lung) health.
Insulin resistance and diabetes
Nitrates in spinach have other positive benefits: improving the state of nitric oxide improves lipid metabolism, relieves inflammation and prevents the development of insulin resistance.
Cancer prevention
Studies have shown that the glycolipid fraction of spinach is a promising suppressor of solid tumors, making spinach a health food with anti-tumor activity.
Detoxification and aroma
Chlorophyll (with magnesium as the central nucleus of its molecule) detoxifies and deodorizes the body and clears the breath after consuming foods such as garlic. It has major antioxidant properties.
Eat your spinach
To get the best health benefits of spinach, the leaves should be steamed and eaten with a little oil: olive oil, macadamia oil, coconut oil, ghee, or even a little organic grass-fed oil. This is especially true for the absorption of the nutrients lutein, beta-carotene and zeaxanthin.
Safety
Like most green leafy vegetables, spinach is high in oxalate (oxalic acid). People with a history of oxalate kidney stones should avoid excessive intake. Oxalic acid can also inhibit the absorption of other minerals such as calcium, but it has a positive relationship with the nitrate content of vegetables. Lightly cooking spinach is thought to reduce its oxalic acid content without adversely affecting nitrate.
- References available upon request.
