How Can Parsley Increase Your Longevity and Protect Against Disease?
We often don’t think about the simple foods we use in our daily lives and what properties they may have for our health. But one such food that is always available and has incredible properties for our bodies is parsley. Although it may be considered a common herb, parsley can provide many benefits to our health if consumed regularly. In this article, we will discuss why parsley is such a unique product and why you should include it in your diet every day.
Parsley Can Help You Get Many of the Vitamins Your Body Needs
Parsley is a herb that is not only delicious, but also rich in health benefits. Like many other leafy green plants, parsley contains vitamins, trace minerals, fiber and antioxidants. However, there are a few basic facts to consider.
Parsley is one of the best sources of vitamin K. Just 30 grams of fresh parsley contains five times the daily allowance of this vitamin. Vitamin K plays an important role in blood clotting and the formation of prothrombin, which is necessary for this process. It is also important for normal ossification, preventing bone softening and osteoporosis. If it is deficient, bones don’t heal well and cartilage deteriorates. Vitamin K deficiency can also lead to calcium deposition on the walls of blood vessels, although this is still being tested.
Although some studies on calcium deposition in blood vessels are still pending, many supplement manufacturers have already begun to advertise taking vitamin D in conjunction with vitamins K, K3, K7, and others. This information quickly spread among people and the media, but in fact there is no need to take special supplements if you include in your diet a portion of parsley in the amount of 30 grams per day.
It is worth noting that no vitamin K overdose has been reported, citing the results of the study. No one died of thrombosis or other effects of eating greens rich in vitamin K. Therefore, you cannot worry and get all the benefits of parsley. In addition, parsley also contains vitamin A, which plays an important role in vision and eye health. 30 grams of fresh parsley contains half the daily allowance of vitamin A.
In addition, parsley is a good source of vitamin C. Vitamin C is not only an antioxidant but also an important component for normal immune system function, muscle growth and connective tissue. And 30 grams of parsley contains half the daily allowance of vitamin C.
Not only is parsley high in vitamins C, A and K, but it is also rich in antioxidants that fight harmful free radicals in the body. Antioxidants are divided into two groups: carotenoids and flavonoids, which have antioxidant activity and can clear the body of accumulated free radicals.
Free radicals are molecules formed in the body as a result of metabolism, which, as we age, accumulate and can be harmful to our health. This is why it is so important to eat foods rich in antioxidants in order to maintain the body’s antioxidant system and protect it from oxidative stress. This is why parsley is an important food that contains antioxidants and can help protect the body from the negative effects of free radicals, the cause of many diseases.
Two Powerful Antioxidants That Lurk in Parsley: What Are Apigenin and Myricetin?
Parsley is not only a delicious and flavorful green spice, but also a rich source of flavonoids like apigenin and myricetin. Although little is known about them, their beneficial properties have been scientifically proven. Apigenin, found in parsley at 215 milligrams per 100 grams of fresh herbs, has anti-inflammatory properties and activates sirtuins, special enzymes in our cells that protect DNA from damage.
Human DNA is attacked by various external and internal factors, and the process of doubling the genetic set during cell division is very vulnerable. This leads to errors in the DNA, which in turn can cause cellular malfunction, aging, inflammation, mutations, cancer, diabetes, high blood pressure and other problems. Sirtuins prevent these errors by protecting DNA from damage and maintaining its integrity. So eating parsley, which is rich in apigenin and myricetin, can help protect your DNA from damage and prevent various health problems.
So far, seven types of sirtuins have been studied that play an important role in the body’s aging process. Specifically, the first and third types of sirtuins are found in the mitochondria, the energy stations of cells that produce ATP. Damage to mitochondria is one of the factors of aging, because as the cell ages their number decreases and they do not work properly, which leads to deterioration of energy production and various degenerative changes.
However, there are nutrients that can help improve mitochondrial function. Apigenin and myricetin are flavonoids that help activate type 1 and type 3 sirtuins, which in turn leads to better mitochondrial function and slower aging processes.In addition, sirtuin also activates other intracellular mechanisms that can improve overall body health, including autophagy and inhibition of the mTOR 1 complex.
Although most studies to date have been conducted on laboratory animals and cell cultures, these results have proven quite plausible and have led to the emergence of a trend called the “sirtfood diet. It is a diet that contains nutrients that promote the activation of sirtuins and can help improve the overall health of the body.
The sirtfood diet includes foods rich in polyphenols, such as red wine, dark chocolate, green tea, olive oil and berries. Polyphenols are antioxidants that protect cells from free radicals and help reduce inflammation in the body.The sirtfood diet also includes foods rich in resveratrol, such as grapes, berries, nuts and vegetables. Resveratrol is a polyphenol that activates sirtuins and can help protect the body from cardiovascular disease and cancer. Learn more about this diet in our article.
Conclusion
In conclusion, we can say that parsley is a real treasure trove of useful substances. First of all, it is vitamin K, which is contained in parsley five times more than we need in one day if we consume only 30 grams of parsley. The second important property of parsley is its content of flavanoids, such as apigenin and myricetin.
These compounds are powerful antioxidants and sirtuin activators that help avoid aging and prevent chronic inflammatory processes as well as various diseases associated with aging. Such as cancer, diabetes, hypertension, neurodegenerative diseases (such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s), osteoarthritis and deforming osteoarthritis. Thus, parsley is an excellent source of nutrients that should be included in your diet to maintain health and prevent disease.