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The Health Benefits of Eggplant E-mail
eggplant
The eggplant is considered to originate from India where it grew wild, and was first cultivated in China. It was introduced into Europe during the Middle Ages by the Moors where it soon became popular. 

Thomas Jefferson, who happened to be an experimental botanist, introduced eggplant to the United States in 1806. 

It’s called eggplant in America, aubergine in Europe, and brinjal in South Africa.

The eggplant has a had a bad rap in the past as being poisonous and detrimental to health. It was believed by superstitious Europeans to induce insanity, and the fact it belongs to the Deadly Nightshade family of plants has done nothing to enhance its dubious reputation.

China is the world's leading producer, followed by Japan, Turkey, and Italy. The leading U.S. producer is Florida.

Health Benefits of Eggplant

  • Nutrients
    Eggplant is an excellent source of dietary fiber. It's a very good source of vitamins B1, B6 and potassium. It’s a good source of copper, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, niacin, and folic acid.
  • Glycemic Index (GI)
    In a study to determine the GI of various vegetables, it was concluded that eggplant has a low GI of 15.
  • Cholesterol
    Eggplant has been used as a cholesterol-lowering agent, and there are some studies to support that claim. There are however other studies that do not support the use of eggplant extract as a cholesterol lowering agent. Further research is needed to establish its effectiveness in lowering cholesterol.
  • Antioxidant
    Cell membranes are almost entirely composed of lipids and are responsible for protecting the cell from free radicals, letting nutrients in and wastes out. Lipid peroxidation is the process whereby free radicals damage cells by stealing electrons from the lipids in cell membranes. Findings from research at the University of California suggest that nasunin, an anthocyanin from eggplant peels, is a potent antioxidant and free-radical scavenger, and has protective activity against lipid peroxidation.
  • Diabetes
    The National Diabetes Education Program of NIH, Mayo Clinic and American Diabetes Association recommend an eggplant based diet as a choice for management of type 2 diabetes. The rationale for this suggestion is the high fiber and low soluble carbohydrate content of eggplant.
  • Cancer
    Angiogenesis is the formation of new blood vessels and is a normal process in growth and in wound healing. Angiogenesis also plays an important role in the growth and spread of cancer by feeding the cancer cells with oxygen and nutrients. In a study at the Department of Nutritional Science in Japan, it was established that nasunin, the antioxidant from eggplant peels, is an angiogenesis inhibitor, and might be useful to prevent angiogenesis-related diseases.
    Other studies have demonstrated that antioxidant anthocyanins found in eggplant skin and other plants show inhibitory effects on the growth of some cancer cells.
Nutrient Values of Eggplant per 100g
Calories
35kcal
Energy Value
147kj
Total Fat
0.23g
Carbohydrates
8.73g
Sugars
3.20g
Dietary Fiber
2.5g
Protein
0.83g
Sodium
1mg
Zinc
0.12mg
Potassium
123mg
Iron
0.25mg
Magnesium
11mg
Copper
0.059mg
Calcium
6mg
Vitamin C
1.3mg
Vitamin E
0.41mg
Vit. B3 (Niacin)
0.600mg
Vitamin B6
0.086mg
Vit. B1 (Thiamin)
0.076mg
Vit. B2 (Riboflavin)
0.020mg
Eggplant should be avoided by individuals suffering from gout. References:
1. The Encyclopedia of Healing Foods by Michael Murray, Joseph Pizzorno, and Lara Pizzorno.
2. Benders' Dictionary of Nutrition and Food Technology.
3. USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference.
4. Noda Y, Kneyuki T, Igarashi K, Mori A, Packer L. Antioxidant activity of nasunin, an anthocyanin in eggplant peels. Toxicology. 2000 Aug 7;148(2-3):119-23. PMID: 10962130.
5. Matsubara K, Kaneyuki T, Miyake T, Mori M. Antiangiogenic activity of nasunin, an antioxidant anthocyanin, in eggplant peels. J Agric Food Chem. 2005 Aug 10;53(16):6272-5. PMID: 16076105.
6. Azevedo L, Alves de Lima PL, Gomes JC, Stringheta PC, Ribeiro DA, Salvadori DM. Differential response related to genotoxicity between eggplant (Solanum melanogena) skin aqueous extract and its main purified anthocyanin (delphinidin) in vivo. Food Chem Toxicol. 2007 May;45(5):852-8. PMID: 17194516.
7. Kwon YI, Apostolidis E, Shetty K. In vitro studies of eggplant (Solanum melongena) phenolics as inhibitors of key enzymes relevant for type 2 diabetes and hypertension. Bioresour Technol. 2008 May;99(8):2981-8. PMID: 17706416.
8. Botelho FV, et al. Effects of eggplant (Solanum melongena) on the atherogenesis and oxidative stress in LDL receptor knock out mice (LDLR(-/-)). Food Chem Toxicol. 2004 Aug;42(8):1259-67. PMID: 15207376.