MEDICINAL VALUES OF SWEET POTATO
Treatment of Vitamin A deficiency
Ipomea batatas (sweet potato) is a powerful nutritional pack. Sweet potatoes are known to be great source of beta-carotene. Beta-carotene is converted into Vitamin A in the body.
Sweet Potato to an extent can be used to combat Vitamin A deficiency which is prevalent in Africa and rarely seen in developed countries. The first symptom of Vitamin A deficiency or Hypovitaminosis A is Nyctalopia (night blindness). If left untreated Xerophthalmia, Kerotomalacia and complete blindness might occur since Vitamin A is highly needed in phototransduction (Gurmu et. al., 2014).
Vitamin A deficiency is the leading cause of preventable childhood blindness.
Approximately 250,000 to 500,000 malnourished children in developing countries including Nigeria go blind each year as a result of Vitamin A deficiency. Blindness due to Vitamin A deficiency is also high in pregnant women in developing countries including Nigeria (Gurmu et. al., 2014).
Vitamin A deficiency also diminishes the ability to fight infections in countries where children are not readily immunised. Infectious diseases like measles and chicken pox may cause high fatality among children. It is known to claim the lives of approximately 670,000 children under the age of 5 annually. The major cause of Vitamin A deficiency is as a result of dietary problems. In developing countries there is low intake of food rich in Vitamin A.
A large, 180-gram sweet potato cooked with its skin provides about 1,730 micrograms of vitamin A. The institute of Medicines food And Nutrition Board advises that an adult man need 900microgram of Vitamin A daily while women require only 700micrograms, this means that a large potato can supply all the needed amount of Vitamin A in the body.
Vitamin A deficiency due to lack of enough vitamin A in diet can be treated by including a good amount of sweet potato in one’s regular diet.
Fertility
Of all the vitamins that are essential for daily body functions, Vitamin A is said to be the most important as far as fertility is concerned. Vitamin A increases and improves Cervical Mucus. Cervical Mucus helps protect the sperm on their journey to meet the egg. Vitamin A not only increases Cervical Mucus but also helps it become more nourishing and healthy for the sperm.
Vitamin A also plays an important role in the growth of follicles where it helps the follicle grow and mature properly, it also assists the follicle in producing the hormones needed in aiding the fertilized egg into the uterus.
As established above, sweet potato is highly rich in beta-carotene which the body converts to vitamin A. women suffering from infertility are highly advised to increase their intake of sweet potato due to is high content of Vitamin A.
Immunity
Foods rich in beta-carotene are known to supplement the body’s immune system. Sweet potato is high in beta-carotene and is known to boost the immune system of the body. Beta-carotene facilitates communication between neighbouring cells by stimulating the synthesis of proteins that form pores in cell membranes, allowing communication through the exchange of small molecules. Some clinical trials have found that beta-carotene supplementation improves various parameters of immune function such as increasing the number of white blood cells and the activities of natural killer cells. The consumption of purple sweet potato leaves was able to modulate T lymphocyte functions and activities of natural killer cells and anti-body production in a study involving 16 different humans (Chen et. al., 2011).
Vitamin C helps maintain tissues and speeding up wound healing, and over all boasting of immune functions. It is scientifically proven that people with common diseases have lower vitamin c in their blood stream. A deficiency of vitamin C broadly affects the various key aspects of immune function, which include the innate system and adaptive system of the immune system. A deficiency of vitamin C can have wide-ranging impact on the immune system leaving us vulnerable to many infections. A weakened immune system caused by low vitamin C levels can make any infection more serious. One of the most important functions of vitamin C is to support and energize the body’s immune system.
Since the human body does not produce vitamin C, it must be obtained from outside-the body sources. The immune system can be improved by supplementing it with vitamin C. The recommended daily allowance of vitamin C is 90mg. Sweet potatoes are rich in vitamin C and one can get as high as 26.4mg of vitamin C per 100g of sweet potato.
No comments:
Post a Comment