Fight diseases with fennel
Fennel is filled with beneficial nutrients that can deliver powerful health benefits:
Bone health
Fennel contains vitamins and minerals that contribute to building and keeping healthy bones:
- Phosphate and calcium are found in fennel and contribute to good bone structure.
- Fennel contains iron and zinc that are important for collagen production and healthy bones.
- Manganese is found in fennel and helps with good bone matrix formation.
- Fennel contains vitamin K which can help minimize the risk of bone fracture by improving calcium absorption and modifying bone matrix proteins.
Blood pressure
Fennel is a food that is naturally low in sodium, and sodium contributes to elevated blood-pressure levels. But even more important, fennel is full of potassium, calcium, and magnesium that all show promise in naturally decreasing blood pressure.
Potassium, in particular, is helpful because if its role in vasodilation—the dilation and contraction of blood vessels. Plus, fennel contains dietary nitrates that also have vasodilatory and vaso-protective properties. Skip the supplement and eat more fennel!
Heart health
Your heart benefits from all the fiber, potassium, folate, vitamin C, vitamin B-6, and phytonutrient content in fennel—plus, with no cholesterol, fennel definitely classifies as a heart-healthy food!
Fiber decreases the risk of heart disease by helping reduce the total amount of cholesterol in the blood. And a serving of fennel has a significant amount of fiber.
Potassium, vitamin B-6, and folate help, too—vitamin B-6 and folate help prevent the build-up of homocysteine by converting it into another, less-harmful compound. When excessive amounts of homocysteine build up in your blood stream, blood vessels can become damaged and lead to heart problems.
Cancer
Fennel contains selenium, a mineral not often found in most other fruits and vegetables. Selenium contributes to liver-enzyme function and helps detoxify some cancer-causing compounds and can also prevent inflammation and decrease tumor growth rates.
Fiber found in fennel is associated with a lower risk of colorectal cancer, one of the leading cancer-related death causes.
Vitamin C, vitamin A, and beta-carotene are powerful antioxidants that can help protect cells against damage from free radicals and help prevent cancer.
Fennel contains folate, which plays a role in DNA synthesis and repair. Some studies show this might help prevent cancer cells from forming because of mutations in the DNA.
Did you know that fennel could be so healthful and beneficial? Please tell us what’s important to you among these health benefits by commenting below.
