Table of contents:
- 1. Help maintain the health of your heart
- 2. Help prevent you from cancer
- 3. Helps boost your immune system
- 4. Helps lower blood sugar levels
- 5. Helps digestion
- 6. Improve the health of your skin
Of course you already know guava fruit. Yes, usually you will bring guava fruit or guava juice when you visit a friend or relative who is sick with dengue fever. Many people believe that guava can accelerate the healing of dengue fever. However, actually the benefits of guava are not only that, there are many other benefits.
The benefits that can be provided by guava are of course there because of the content of various vitamins and minerals in guava. Guava contains vitamin C, vitamin A, vitamin K, lycopene, folic acid, iron, fiber, and many more. The following are some of the benefits of guava:
1. Help maintain the health of your heart
Eating lots of guava can help you improve your heart health. Experts believe that the high content of antioxidants and vitamins in guava can help protect the heart from free radical damage. Yes, indeed antioxidants function to fight free radicals in the body and guava is very rich in antioxidants.
Apart from antioxidants, guava also contains potassium and fiber which are also beneficial for improving heart health. Potassium is needed by cells and body fluids to control blood pressure. Meanwhile, fiber can bind cholesterol which can endanger heart health.
Several studies have also shown an association between guava consumption with a decrease in blood pressure, a decrease in bad cholesterol levels, and an increase in good cholesterol levels. One such study was published by the Journal of Human Hypertension in 1993. The study involved two groups who consumed guava and those who did not. The result was that the group that consumed guava every day showed a decrease in systolic and diastolic blood pressure, a decrease in total serum cholesterol and triglycerides, and an increase in good cholesterol.
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2. Help prevent you from cancer
Guava contains high levels of lycopene which has antioxidant properties, so it can have an anticancer effect. The high content of antioxidants can prevent cell damage caused by free radicals, which is one of the causes of cancer.
Several studies have linked this. Research published by the Journal of Medicinal Food in 2012 shows that guava leaf extract can prevent the growth of cancer cells and can also be used for cancer treatment.
3. Helps boost your immune system
Guava is one of the fruits with high vitamin C content, even the vitamin C content in guava exceeds the content in oranges. Vitamin C is associated with boosting your immune system. Low vitamin C content in the body can make a person more at risk for infection and disease.
4. Helps lower blood sugar levels
Good news for those of you who suffer from diabetes or have high blood sugar levels, it turns out that guava can help you control blood sugar levels. A study shows that drinking guava leaf tea after meals can help lower blood sugar levels for 2 hours. Another study involving people with type 2 diabetes mellitus has also shown that drinking guava leaf tea after meals can lower blood sugar levels by more than 10%.
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5. Helps digestion
Apart from the high content of antioxidants and vitamin C, guava also contains fiber. This fiber content makes guava help your digestion. One guava fruit can contain 12% of your recommended daily fiber intake. So, consuming guava can help prevent constipation, reduce the duration of diarrhea, and keep your intestines healthy.
6. Improve the health of your skin
Guava contains vitamin A and flavonoids, such as beta-carotene, lycopene, lutein, and cryptosantin. All of these ingredients provide the antioxidant properties in guava, thereby improving the health of your skin. Antioxidants can protect skin cells from damage, they can also slow down the aging process and prevent wrinkles.
A study also proved that guava leaf extract can help treat acne. The antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties of guava leaf extract may kill the acne-causing bacteria on the skin.
In addition, the content of vitamin C in guava can also accelerate wound healing because vitamin C can help collagen production. Vitamin K contained in guava can also accelerate the healing of wounds or discoloration of the skin due to irritation. Vitamin K can speed up the blood clotting process that takes place during wound healing.
Guava also contains water which keeps the skin well moisturised and hydrated. In one guava fruit, 81% water is contained. So, not only is it believed to cure or prevent a disease, but guava can also improve the health of your skin.
ALSO READ: Protect Your Skin from Sun Radiation in This Way
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