Common varieties of eggplant range from dark purple to white in color, but all of them provide nutrients that can benefit your heart. Low in calories, eggplant contains potassium and fiber, which contribute to healthy blood pressure and cholesterol levels. A diet rich in vegetables such as eggplant may help you control your weight, which reduces your risk of heart disease, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or CDC.
Blood Pressure Regulation
According to the University of Illinois, a cup of cooked, cubed eggplant has 246 mg of potassium, a mineral and electrolyte that helps normalize blood pressure. The Institute of Medicine, or IOM, recommends that adults have 4,700 mg of potassium each day to counteract the effects of sodium, a mineral that can raise your blood pressure if you consume it in excessive quantities. Chronic hypertension, or high blood pressure, increases your risk of heart attack and stroke. The IOM notes that most Americans consume only about half of the potassium they need each day. A cup of eggplant gives you 5 percent of your daily requirement of this mineral.
Weight Control
The same cup of eggplant offers 3 g of fiber, according to the University of Illinois. With only 28 calories per 1-cup serving, eggplant is a low-energy-dense food, meaning that its volume outweighs its caloric content, the CDC notes. The water and fiber in eggplant promote satiety, which helps you control your weight by filling you up with fewer calories. In a review of clinical studies on the effects of fruits and vegetables on weight loss, the CDC found that people who ate a diet rich in low-energy-dense foods lost three times more weight than those who simply emphasized low-fat foods. Maintaining a healthy weight may decrease your risk of cardiovascular disease and help you control your blood pressure.
Cholesterol Management
The fiber in eggplant can help you manage your cholesterol levels, which may prevent coronary artery disease, according to the Harvard School of Public Health, or HSPH. The accumulation of fatty plaques in the arteries causes them to narrow and harden, which restricts blood flow to the heart. Exactly how dietary fiber lowers cholesterol is not clear, but high-fiber diets have been linked to lower cholesterol levels and a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease, the HSPH notes.
Research
In an article published in the October 2000 issue of "The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition," Dr. Simin Liu and colleagues reported that women who ate a diet high in fruits and vegetables over the course of a five-year study had a lower incidence of heart disease, hypertension and high cholesterol. Eating higher quantities of fruits and vegetables such as eggplant reduced the study participants' rate of cardiovascular disease regardless of other dietary factors, such their intake of red meat or saturated fat, the authors noted. The combination of vitamins, minerals, fiber and other nutrients in fruits and vegetables may contribute to the cardiac benefits these foods provide.
Suggestions
Look for firm, heavy eggplants with no discolored areas when shopping for these vegetables. Because the flesh of eggplant flesh is slightly spongy and can soak up oil while cooking, the University of Illinois Extension recommends pressing eggplant slices to remove air before sautéing. Add slices of grilled eggplant to green salads, sandwiches, stews or vegetable stir-fries to take advantage of this vegetable's cardiovascular benefits.
References
- University of Illinois Extension: Eggplant
- IOM: Dietary Reference Intakes: Water, Potassium, Sodium, Chloride, and Sulfate
- CDC: Can Eating Fruits and Vegetables Help People to Manage Their Weight?
- "The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition": Fruit and Vegetable Intake and Risk of Cardiovascular Disease: The Women's Health Study
- HSPH: Fiber: Start Roughing It!
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