Sweet potatoes contain a wide variety of extremely beneficial nutrients, including vitamin A, vitamin C and fiber, all of which combat inflammation. Research links chronic inflammation to a host of serious health complications, including diabetes and coronary heart disease. Speak to your doctor or health care provider about adding sweet potatoes to your anti-inflammatory diet.
Inflammation
Chronic inflammation refers to the low-grade, persistent and body wide inflammatory response often triggered by long-term obesity. Levels of C-reactive protein – an inflammatory protein that the liver releases in response to tissue damage or infection – typically predict the likelihood that coronary heart disease will develop. Researchers from Germany and the United Kingdom followed 936 healthy men between the ages of 45 and 64 for eight years. The levels of C-reactive protein in the obese subjects were twice those of the subjects of normal weight. Also, a positive relationship emerged between C-reactive protein levels and the incidence of heart disease. This research appeared in a 1999 issue of the journal “Circulation.”
Vitamin A
Sweet potatoes contain good amounts of vitamin A. One cup of cooked sweet potato contains 1,922 micrograms, according to the USDA Nutrient Database. The body synthesizes vitamin A into retinoids, compounds which demonstrate anti-inflammatory qualities, according to research from the University of Rochester Medical Center. A 2003 review found that retinoids exerted a positive impact on inflammation, particularly inflammation associated with atherosclerosis. This review appeared in the March 2003 issue of "Current Drug Targets: Cardiovascular and Haematological Disorders."
Vitamin C
Sweet potatoes provide a rich source of vitamin C. One cup of cooked sweet potato contains 39 grams of this important antioxidant vitamin, according to the USDA Nutrient Database. In 2008, a review published by researchers from the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine demonstrated the anti-inflammatory value of vitamin C. Vitamin C, when taken in the early stages of inflammatory diseases such as atherosclerosis or hardening of the arteries, reduces inflammation, minimizes damage to the blood vessels and improves the outcome for heart disease patients. This review appeared in the July 2008 issue of the journal “Pharmacology and Therapeutics.”
Fiber
Sweet potatoes are also full of fiber. One cup of cooked sweet potato provides 6.6 g of fiber, according to registered dietician Owennie Lee of Health Castle. Research indicates that fiber lowers the levels of C-reactive protein in the blood. Researchers from the Medical University of South Carolina supplemented 28 women and seven men between the ages of 18 and 49 with 30 g of fiber per day for three weeks. At the study’s conclusion, levels of C-reactive protein reduced significantly in the subjects. These results appeared in the March 2007 issue of the “Archives of Internal Medicine.”
References
- "Circulation"; C-Reactive Protein, a Sensitive Marker of Inflammation, Predicts Future Risk of Coronary Heart Disease in Initially Healthy Middle-Aged Men; Wolfgang Koenig, M.D., et al.; 1999
- USDA Nutrient Database: Sweet Potato, Cooked, Baked in Skin, without Salt
- "Current Drug Targets: Cardiovascular and Haematological Disorders"; Retinoids: Pleiotropic Agents of Therapy for Vascular Diseases?; J.W. Streb, et al.; March 2003
- “Pharmacology and Therapeutics”; Inflammation in the Vascular Bed: Importance of Vitamin C; R. Aguirre, et al.; July 2008
- Health Castle: Sweet Potato - Food of the Month; Owennie Lee, R.D.; November 2010
- “Archives of Internal Medicine”; Effect of a High-Fiber Diet vs. a Fiber-Supplemented Diet on C-Reactive Protein Level; D.E. King, et al.; March 2007
