Impressive Health Benefits Of Mung Beans
Mung beans, a type of legume, is a green bean that has been farmed and cultivated for thousands of years. The mung bean is believed to have originated in India but steadily made its way into China as well as various other parts of the Southeast Asian region. Mung beans are typically sold either dried, fresh, or in sprout form, and although they’re not a common feature of the American diet, consumers can find them in many supermarkets and health food stores. They have a light, sweet flavor that lends itself well to soups, salads, and stir-frys, and they are overall an incredibly versatile ingredient. It is believed the mung bean can cure many common ailments and its high nutrient contents make it an excellent addition to anyone’s diet. Continue reading for a further rundown on this amazing legumes various beneficial effects on health now.
Reduce Risk Of Heart Disease
According to reports, mung beans may reduce an individual's risk of heart disease. This healthy legume features many beneficial compounds and antioxidants including flavonoids, phenolic acids, cinnamic acid, and caffeic acid. These antioxidants aid in stopping the molecules known as free radicals before they can cause harm to the body. Free radical damage has been linked to increased risk of heart disease, cancer, chronic inflammation, and many other diseases. They interact with the body on the cellular level and can cause real and lasting damage to cells when found in high enough concentrations. In various studies, the beneficial antioxidants found in mung beans were shown to halt the damage caused by free radicals linked with cancer in the cells of the stomach and lungs. Additionally, the sprouts of mung beans are believed to have up to six times more of these beneficial antioxidants than regular beans, which makes them a real powerhouse of an ingredient to add to soups and salads to improve health.
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Heat Stroke Prevention
It’s quite common in the many countries of Asia for individuals to consume a soup made of the humble mung bean on especially warm days, as it’s believed doing so can help protect individuals from having a heat stroke by regulating their body’s temperature, thirst, and other factors linked with it. It is believed this heat stroke prevention method is due to the anti-inflammatory abilities of this amazing bean. Although there hasn’t been a lot of research on this, and many researchers and experts are skeptical of whether or not soup made from mung beans is any more effective in treating heat stroke then simply drinking water, the antioxidants isovitexin and vitexin were observed to protect the body’s cells from damage caused by the free radicals that can occur as the result of a heat stroke. With more research, someday the mung bean’s high antioxidant content may prove to truly aid in preventing heat stroke, but for now, it doesn’t hurt to keep up the habit of having some on especially hot days if only to enjoy its other proven health benefits!
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Reduction In Blood Pressure
With an estimated one in every three adults in America having high blood pressure, anything proven to offer a reduction in blood pressure is a safe addition to an individual's diet. Having high blood pressure can put individuals at a heightened risk of developing heart disease, which is the most common cause of death in the world. Due to the mung bean’s high content of magnesium, potassium, and fiber, it is believed they may be an effective means of lowering blood pressure. Plenty of studies have been done on each of these nutrients, which points to the mung bean being an effective treatment. A recent summary of studies indicated an increased intake of legumes in general, including beans and mung beans, significantly reduced blood pressure in adults who had high blood pressure, as well as those with healthy levels. Studies that looked at mung beans specifically found proteins contained in them had the ability to fight off enzymes that caused blood pressure to increase.
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Improve Digestive Health
Another great benefit of the mung bean is its ability to improve digestive health in individuals who consume them regularly. Due to the high nutrient and fiber content, they’re a great digestive supplement. In fact, a single cup of prepared mung beans contains over fifteen grams of fiber. Mung beans contain a type of fiber called pectin, which is known to increase regularity by way of quickening the flow of food through the digestive system. Another beneficial compound found in mung beans, as with other beans and legumes, is resistant starch. This starch offers similar benefits to soluble fiber in that it can strengthen the beneficial bacteria residing in an individual's gut. This healthy bacteria process the soluble fiber individuals consume, converting it to a short-chain fatty acid known as butyrate, which is known to offer even more digestive benefits. Butyrate can feed the cells in the colon, lowering an individual's risk of developing colon cancer, and also increases the overall immune defenses of their gut.
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Lower Blood Sugar
High blood sugar is one of the main indicators and causes of diabetes, and if left unaddressed, it can lead to a whole host of health issues. It’s in everyone’s best interest to try to keep their blood sugar levels within healthy ranges to avoid a variety of chronic diseases. The mung bean contains several beneficial nutrients and compounds that work together to lower blood sugar in individuals who consume them. The high protein and fiber content works to lower blood sugar by slowing down digestion which then slows down sugar from entering the bloodstream too quickly. The previously mentioned antioxidants isovitexin and vitexin have also been linked in studies to lower blood sugar and can help insulin do its job more efficiently.