Chestnuts offer countless health benefits, especially for women, as they enhance skin health and collagen production, promote heart health thanks to their fiber and potassium content, and help regulate blood sugar due to their low glycemic index. They also support digestive and immune system functions because of their richness in fiber and vitamin C. Antioxidants such as vitamin C and manganese help fight cell damage and may reduce the risk of chronic diseases like cancer.
Minerals like copper and magnesium found in chestnuts contribute to increasing bone mineral density, which is crucial for preventing age-related bone disorders.
Chestnuts are high in dietary fiber
Chestnuts offer numerous health benefits, starting with their high fiber content. This helps stimulate bowel transit by promoting intestinal movement. Dietary fiber traps sugars and fats, thereby reducing their absorption rate, which allows better control of cholesterol and blood sugar levels. Another advantage of fiber is its role in maintaining gut flora health, which helps prevent many diseases such as colon cancer and cardiovascular diseases. Fiber also aids in better appetite control by promoting a feeling of fullness. A 100-gram serving of chestnuts contains 4 grams of fiber, according to the French magazine "Santé."
Energy supply for the body
Chestnuts contain carbohydrates that provide energy to the body. Carbohydrates fuel the body's cells. Among carbohydrates, there are sugars (simple carbohydrates), which are often sweet (glucose, fructose, galactose, maltose, lactose, sucrose), and starches (complex carbohydrates), which are essential for energy contribution. They are digested in the intestines and mainly absorbed as glucose, as confirmed by the French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health & Safety (ANSES).
Chestnuts are rich in vitamins
Chestnuts contain vitamin A (retinol), beta-carotene (provitamin A), vitamin D (cholecalciferol), vitamin E (tocopherol), vitamin K (K1, K2), vitamin C, and the B vitamin group (B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B9, B12).
Prevention of cancer, diabetes, and heart diseases
Chestnuts have many health benefits. Their high fiber content traps sugars and fats, reducing absorption rates, which helps better control cholesterol and blood sugar. Fiber also supports gut flora health, helping to prevent diseases such as colon cancer and cardiovascular diseases. Dietary fiber helps control appetite by promoting satiety. A 100-gram serving of chestnuts contains 4 grams of fiber.
Digestive health
Chestnuts are rich in fiber, essential for maintaining digestive health and alleviating constipation. Their consumption also increases satiety, as the fiber and resistant starch in chestnuts help keep you full longer, preventing cravings and aiding weight control.
Reducing inflammation levels in the body
Inflammation is a natural process that helps the body heal and fight infections. However, in some cases, low-level inflammation persists, known as chronic inflammation, which is linked to many chronic conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, and cancers.
Antioxidants in chestnuts, such as vitamin C, gallic acid, ellagic acid, and various polyphenols, may help reduce inflammation by neutralizing free radicals, the main cause of chronic inflammation and diseases.
Additionally, test tube and animal studies, according to Healthline, show that antioxidants in chestnuts, such as tannins and flavonoids, can help inhibit inflammatory signals like NF-κB and MAPK.
Helping with weight loss
Chestnuts have several properties that may assist with weight loss. Their high fiber content helps you feel full longer by slowing the time food takes to reach the intestines.
Research also shows that high fiber intake increases hormones that suppress appetite, such as peptide YY (PYY) and glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), while inhibiting the hunger hormone ghrelin.
Moreover, chestnuts contain fewer calories per gram than most other nuts because they are low in fat, which is the most calorie-dense nutrient.
If you aim to lose weight, creating a calorie deficit is necessary. Eating chestnuts might help achieve this while promoting satiety.
Interestingly, a 2020 animal study found that chestnut consumption might help reduce cholesterol and abdominal fat. However, more research is needed to explore these potential effects.
Post a Comment