Adding bitter leaf to a healthy diet can lower your risk of chronic diseases like breast cancer and type 2 diabetes, the University of Texas reports. Bitter leaf — technically called Vernonia amygdalina — is a standard ingredient in African American cuisine. Even though it might have a sour name, its taste is rather mild. Furthermore, bitter leaf has a range of significant potential health advantages.
Benefits Of Bitter Leaf
Cholesterol
Elevated cholesterol — particularly “bad” LDL cholesterol is a risk factor for heart attack, stroke and Alzheimer’s disease. According to the February 2008 version of the “Journal of Vascular Health and Risk Management,” bitter foliage can decrease poor and overall cholesterol. In an animal model, supplementation with sour leaf extract decreased LDL cholesterol by 50 per cent while at the same time fostering “good” HDL cholesterol. However, no study exploring bitter foliage on cholesterol was conducted on people.
Breast Cancer
Over 10 percent of women in the USA will develop breast cancer, BreastCancer.org reports. Remaining physically active, eating a low-carb diet and maintaining a wholesome weight may lower your chance of prostate cancer. Furthermore, consuming bitter foliage may fight breast cancer cell growth, according to the February 2004 “Experimental Biology and Medicine.” In a test tube analysis of human breast cancer cells, researchers from Jackson State University discovered that bitter foliage inhibited the growth and proliferation of breast cancer cells.
Antioxidants
Your body’s cells are below a near-constant attack from a harmful procedure called oxidation. Unchecked oxidation can raise the possibilities of precancerous cell creation. Bitter foliage is an abundant supply of oxidation’s nemesis — fats — even reports the December 2006 issue of “Food Chemistry.” The researchers add that the antioxidant properties of sour leaf create a healthier disease-fighting addition to your daily diet.
Fatty Acids
Bitter leaf is an abundant source of the polyunsaturated fatty acids linoleic and linolenic acid. Because your body can’t make these two fats, they are required from the diet. A study found in the November 2001 issue of the “American Journal of Clinical Nutrition” found that diets rich in these two fatty acids were protective against cardiovascular disease. In this study, those who consumed the greatest amounts of linoleic and linolenic fatty acids had a 40 percent lower risk of cardiovascular disease when compared to those that seldom consumed these two fats.
