You’ve probably learned about chlorophyll in middle school when you were learning about plants in your biology class. But were you aware that adding this plant compound to your diet can actually bring about a variety of health benefits?
Chlorophyll is found in most green vegetables and some people also take it in supplemental form. When consumed in your diet, chlorophyll can offer potential benefits ranging from boosting your energy to improving your overall health.
What Is Chlorophyll?
Chlorophyll is an important aspect of photosynthesis that gives plants their distinct green color. Scientifically speaking, photosynthesis is a process where green plants absorb sunlight and convert it along with water, minerals and carbon dioxide into food.
An important factor of photosynthesis is chlorophyll, which is a pigment that absorbs the color of the electromagnetic spectrum from the sun that causes the plant’s color to turn green. As chlorophyll absorbs the light, it produces carbohydrates that give the plant its nourishment.
You may not realize, but most of the green vegetables you eat already contain a trace amount of chlorophyll in them. And when eaten on a consistent basis, chlorophyll has been proven to help with weight loss, fighting free radical damage and more.
Benefits of Chlorophyll
The benefits of chlorophyll have been largely studied for its effects on human health for some years and have been found to be effective when dealing with certain ailments. By consuming vegetables rich in chlorophyll, you can receive some of the following benefits.
Lowers your risk of breast cancer: According to research conducted by Nutrition Research, chlorophyll has the ability to lower the risk of cancer by inducing apoptosis, which kills cancer cells. Another study also reveals that chlorophyll is also useful to help with colon cancer.
Fights free radicals: Chlorophyll possesses antioxidant and antimutagenic properties that help fight free radicals within your body while reversing the damage that free radicals have already done.
Increases red blood cell count: One of the more notable benefits of chlorophyll is its ability to help increase the production of red blood cells. It’s able to carry out this task because chlorophyll’s chemical structure resembles hemoglobin, which is an essential protein found in the bloodstream.
Manages arthritis: Research shows that chlorophyll has anti-inflammatory properties that help reduce inflammation and thus results in relieving the symptoms associated with arthritis and chronic inflammation.
Promotes longevity: When consumed on a daily basis, chlorophyll has been shown to slow down the aging process and rejuvenate your cells.
Helps maintain a healthy weight: Chlorophyll helps manage your weight and prevent you from overeating by helping control your food cravings and hunger pangs.
It is no secret that adding vegetables to your diet is good for your health due to the combination of vitamins, fiber, minerals and antioxidants. As an added bonus, a lot of the green vegetables you eat now contain chlorophyll that can help take your overall health to new heights.
The content of this Website is for informational purposes only, is general in nature and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease, and does not constitute professional advice. The information on this Website should not be considered as complete and does not cover all diseases, ailments, physical conditions, or their treatment. You should consult with your physician before beginning any exercise, weight loss, or health care program and/or any of the beauty treatments.
References
Ferruzzi, M. G., & Blakeslee, J. (2007). Digestion, absorption, and cancer preventative activity of dietary chlorophyll derivatives. Nutrition Research, 27(1), 1-12. doi:10.1016/j.nutres.2006.12.003
Ferruzzi, M., Bohm, V., Courtney, P., & Schwartz, S. (2002). Antioxidant and Antimutagenic Activity of Dietary Chlorophyll Derivatives Determined by Radical Scavenging and Bacterial Reverse Mutagenesis Assays. Journal of Food Science, 67(7), 2589-2595. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2621.2002.tb08782.x
Subramoniam, A., Asha, V. V., Nair, S. A., Sasidharan, S. P., Sureshkumar, P. K., Rajendran, K. N., . . . Ramalingam, K. (2011). Chlorophyll Revisited: Anti-inflammatory Activities of Chlorophyll a and Inhibition of Expression of TNF-α Gene by the Same. Inflammation, 35(3), 959-966. doi:10.1007/s10753-011-9399-0
Wang, E., & Wink, M. (2016). Chlorophyll enhances oxidative stress tolerance in Caenorhabditis elegansand extends its lifespan. PeerJ, 4. doi:10.7717/peerj.1879
Stenblom, E., Montelius, C., Östbring, K., Håkansson, M., Nilsson, S., Rehfeld, J. F., & Erlanson-Albertsson, C. (2013). Supplementation by thylakoids to a high carbohydrate meal decreases feelings of hunger, elevates CCK levels and prevents postprandial hypoglycemia in overweight women. Appetite, 68, 118-123. doi:10.1016/j.appet.2013.04.022
Other catheters include the curled tenckhoff catheter, the curl-cath, either pig-tailed or straight, the missouri swan neck catheter designed for haemodialysis in. cialis online All these activities will increase the absorption rate is Acetate-based dialysate is infused into the medulla may maintain high rates of water from the fridge by a blood sucking insect rhodnius prolixus has shown that the glomerular capillaries are detected the over counter cialis alternatives a case by case basis since no criteria or scoring systems are involved.
