6 Benefits That Cucumber Provides To Your Body

Cucumber is a refreshing and versatile vegetable that is widely consumed around the world. It is a low-calorie vegetable that is a great source of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. Regular consumption of cucumber can provide a range of health benefits, from improving hydration and skin health to promoting weight loss and regulating blood pressure. In this article, we will explore the benefits of cucumber in more detail, and learn about the advantages of including this vegetable in your diet. So, let's dive in and discover the benefits of cucumber for our health.

# Provides Relief From Constipation

The laxative properties of the dietar fibers in cucumbers improves our bowel movement, ensures smooth elimination of stool from the system and thus provides relief from constipation and other gastrointestinal problems like abdominal pain, gas, bloating, indigestion, flatulence and irritable bowel syndrome etc.

Vitamin C, vitamin A and other antioxidantal compounds like phytonutrients and polyphenols in cucumber protects the digestive system from free radical damage, and thus minimizes the risk of several cancers like colon cancer, abdominal cancer, pancreatic cancer and intestinal cancer etc.

The abundance of water in cucumber (around 96 percent) helps with digestion of food, absorption of nutrients from food and thus improves our digestive health.

Other nutrients like zinc, iron, slica, potassium, magnesium and vitamin B complex in cucumber also contributes to better digestive health.

# Regulates Blood Pressure

Eating 1 cup of cucumber provides 440 mg of potassium.

Potassium is a natural vasodilator that relaxes our blood vessels, improves blood circulation and thus provides relief from hypertension or high blood pressure.

Hypertension or high blood pressure is a silent killer that affects millions of people around the world, and is a leading cause of several cardiovascular and other health problems like heart attack, heart stroke, irregular heartbeat, chest pain, blurred vision, blood in urine etc.

Other nutrients like iron, vitamin B complex and magnesium etc also plays an important role in keeping blood pressure under control.

# Cucumber Helps In Managing Diabetes

Cucumber is good for people with diabetes and for those who are at the risk of developing diabetes.

It has a low glycemic index of 15 and releases sugar into the bloodstream at a slow pace and thus helps in managing diabetes.

Dietary fibers in cucumber slows down the absorption of sugar into the bloodstream and thus regulates blood sugar level.

It also contains a hormone which is required by the beta cells during insulin production.

The carbohydrates present in the cucumber can be easily digested by the diabetic patients and doesn’t cause any interference to blood sugar level.

# Helps With Body Functions

Cucumber is a natural diuretic that increases the frequency and flow of the urination, and helps in proper elimination of excess fluids, mineral salts, toxins and other unwanted substances out of the body. It minimizes the risk of urinary tract infections and improves functions of urinary bladder, kidneys, liver and pancreas.

The detoxifying properties of dietary fibers in cucumber eliminates toxins, pollutants and other unwanted substances from the body.

Because of the anti-inflammatory properties of vitamin C in cucumber, drinking cucumber-carrot juice provides relief from rheumatic conditions caused by buildup of excessive uric acid in the body.

It aids in protein digestion, and is also good for the lungs.

# Prevents Dehydration

Water plays an important role in keeping us healthy as it is needed for various functions in the body. Our body is made up of 70 percent water, and for some organs like lungs and liver are more than 80 percent water.

To live healthy, it is important to maintain the right fluid balance and lack of it can increase the risk of dehydration. Some symptoms of dehydration includes dry mouth, lethargy, muscle weakness, headache, dizziness, sunken eyes, dry skin, increased heart rate, and low blood pressure etc.

The abundance of water ( around 96 percent) in cucumber keeps us well hydrated, and minimizes the risk of dehydration and associated symptoms.

# Reduces Risk of Cancer(s)

The antioxidants like vitamin C, vitamin A and other relevant antioxidantal compounds like phytonutrients and polyphenols in cucumber protects our cells and tissues from free radical damage, and minimizes the risk of several cancers like colon cancer, lung cancer, breast cancer, pancreatic cancer, stomach cancer and intestinal cancer etc.

Free radicals are the unstabilized ions that stabilizes by stealing electrons from neighboring molecules, and doing so it causes oxidative damage to them.

As per a 2009 study published in the Journal of Cancer research, cucurbitacins supplements inhibits the growth of pancreatic cancer cell lines by 50 percent, and also damages pancreatic cancer cells.

As per another study published in Journal of the National Cancer Institute, women with the highest intake of lignan( polyphenol in cucumber) were at the lowest risk of breast cancer.

In another study conducted on 1000 women in the San Francisco area, it was revealed that postmenopausal women with the highest intake of lignans( polyphenol in cucumber) were at the lowest risk of developing endometrial cancer.