The Health Benefits of Eggplant

The Health Benefits of 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.

The health benefits of eggplant include type 2 diabetes management, cholesterol lowering and cancer prevention.

Health Benefits of Eggplant

Nutrients in Eggplant

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. Nasunin, an anthocyanin from eggplant peels, is a potent antioxidant and free-radical scavenger, and has protective activity against lipid peroxidation. A comprehensive breakdown of nutrients can be found in our Nutrient Database.

Type 2 Diabetes Management

The National Diabetes Education Program, 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.

Study results indicate that phenolic-enriched extracts of eggplant inhibit enzymes that provide a strong biochemical basis for management of type 2 diabetes by controlling glucose absorption and reducing associated high blood pressure (hypertension).

Cholesterol Lowering

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.

Cancer Prevention

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.

Glycemic Index of Eggplant

In a study to determine the GI of various vegetables, it was concluded that eggplant has a low GI of 15.

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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.
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