7 Health Benefits of Sweet Potatoes

 

Phoebe_Lapine / Getty Images 1. High in beta-Carotene: A type of vitamin A, beta-Carotene helps keep your eyes and skin healthy. Beta-Carotene also plays a vital role in the immune system and keeps the body protected from foreign agents. Scientists think the beta-Carotene can also help mediate the damage caused by Alzheimer's Disease and Parkinson's Disease. 2. High in Vitamin B3: Also called Niacin, vitamin B3 helps convert sugars, fats, and proteins into calories for the body to use. It's also important in the repair of DNA in the body and helps reduce heart disease. 3. Tons of Vitamin D. Your body actually produces vitamin D as a reaction to sunlight. Vitamin D plays an important role in your mood and can help with the production of dopamine and works to keep up the body's energy levels. A lack of sunlight can lead a lack of vitamin D, which in turn can lead to Seasonal Affective Disorder - a sort of depression linked to the seasons, particularly winter when there is less sunlight. Eating sweet potatoes, a food packed with vitamin D, can help keep your energy up and elevate your mood.  4. Antifungal and Antiviral Properties: Sugar compounds called glycosides found in sweet potatoes are particularly unique. They've been shown to have the potential to hunt down and snuff out foreign fungal and viral agents in the body and eliminate them. This means they can assist in preventing diseases caused by harmful biological agents in the body. 5. An Excellent Source of Magnesium: An important part in numerous functions of the body magnesium is mandatory for bone health, reducing blood pressure, and for ensuring proper functions of the endocrine system (i.e., it helps you pee and assists in processing booze). Magnesium also *ahem* keeps you regular. Sweet potatoes have shockingly high levels of magnesium and are often a prescribed food for patients with heart and circulatory problems as well as endocrine problems. 6. Iron? Sweet potatoes have plenty! It sounds odd to say we need iron - a metal - in our body, but iron is a unique metal in that it has great bonding capacity. Due to this, iron is able to transport oxygen to cells and acts as a critical part of muscle strength and movement. Iron is also a critical piece of the numerous proteins and enzymes that our bodies produce for everyday functions. Sweet potatoes are packed with iron and offer a delicious way to keep strong. 7. Anti-inflammatories Galore: The sweet potato has the epic ability to repress and reduce the amount of certain inflammatory compounds that develop in the body when it is damaged. The means the sweet potato actively works to reduce inflammation of muscle cells and, in particular, nerve cells. Reduced inflammation around nerve cells means nerves are able to fire electrical signals more efficiently and reduce the pain of diseases like multiple sclerosis. http://produce.about.com/od/Root-Vegetables/fl/7-Health-Benefits-of-Sweet-Potatoes.htm