Asparagus is a nutrient-rich vegetable that provides many health benefits. It is high in vitamins, minerals, fiber and antioxidants. Some key benefits include: 1) It may help protect heart health as it contains vitamin K and B vitamins which help regulate homocysteine and lower heart disease risk. 2) It may help lower the risk of type 2 diabetes due to its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties which improve pancreatic function and insulin regulation. 3) It aids digestion through its fiber and protein content which help stabilize digestion and provide relief from discomfort.

1. 2016
Naufal Khairuddin
http://hbfoods.info
2/1/2016
Benefits of Asparagus

2. Benefits of Asparagus
Asparagus is a nutrient rich vegetable. It is high in folate and in vitamin K. Not only that,
asparagus is also high in anti inflammatory nutrients too. It contains selenium, manganese, zinc,
vitamin E, beta carotene and vitamin C. Furthermore, asparagus contains chromium, a trace
mineral that helps insulin transporting, glutathione, a compound that can help eliminating
carcinogens, and amino acid asparagine. Because of this, asparagus can help protect and fight
against cancers such as colon, lung, breast and bone cancers. It is one of many benefits of
asparagus.
Nutrition
Do you want to know other benefits? Here we will show you other benefits of asparagus. But
before that, let’s see what nutrition that asparagus contain is. As we know it, asparagus can be
eaten either raw or cooked, and here we will provide you with the nutrition list of both raw and
cooked asparagus.
Nutritional value: raw asparagus
The following is the nutritional value of raw asparagus per 100 grams servings. It contains:
• Calories: 26.8
• Carbohydrate: 5.3 grams
• Dietary fiber: 2.8 grams
• Sugar: 2.5 grams
• Protein: 2.9 grams
• Vitamins: vitamin A 1013 IU, panthotenic acid 0.4 mg vitamin C 7.5 mg, thiamin 0.2 mg,
riboflavin 0.2 mg, niacin 1.3 mg, vitamin B6 0.1 mg, vitamin K 55.7 mcg, folate, 69.7 mcg,
choline 21.4 mg, betaine 0.8 mg, vitamin E 1.5 mg
• Minerals: calcium 32.2 mg, potassium 271 mg, iron 2.9 mg, phosphorus 69.7 mg, sodium
2.7 mg, zinc 0.7 mg, copper 0.3 mg, manganese 0.2 mg, magnesium 18.8 mg, selenium
3.1 mcg
• Saturated fat: 0.1 gram
• Polyunsaturated fat: 0.1 gram
• Total Omega-3 fatty acids: 13.4 mg
• Total Omega-6 fatty acids: 53.6 mg
Nutritional value: frozen, cooked, boiled, drained asparagus

3. The following is the nutritional value of frozen, cooked, boiled, and drained asparagus per 100
grams servings. It contains:
• Calories: 18
• Carbohydrate: 1.9 grams
• Dietary fiber: 1.6 grams
• Sugar: 0.3 grams
• Protein: 3 grams
• Vitamins: vitamin A 806 IU, vitamin C 24.4 mg, vitamin E 1.2 mg, vitamin K 80 mcg,
thiamin 0.1 mg, riboflavin 0.1 mg, niacin 1 mg, folate, 135 mcg, panthotenic acid 0.2 mg,
choline 20.9 mg, betaine 0.7 mg
• Minerals: calcium 18 mg, iron 0.6 mg, magnesium 10 mg, phosphorus 49 mg, potassium
172 mg, sodium 3 mg, zinc 0.4 mg, copper 0.1 mg, manganese 0.1 mg, selenium 3.9 mcg
• Saturated fat: 0.1 gram
• Polyunsaturated fat: 0.2 gram
• Total Omega-3 fatty acids: 10 mg
• Total Omega-6 fatty acids: 175 mg
Health benefits of asparagus
Asparagus is rich in nutrients, so it is not surprising if there are a lot of benefits of asparagus for
those who consume it. The first in our benefits list is it is good for heart health. Asparagus is
high in vitamin K, which helps blood clot. Not only that, it is also high in B vitamins. B vitamins
help regulate homocysteine, too much homocysteine can be a serious risk factor in heart
disease. Asparagus’ soluble fiber and high levels of antioxidants in asparagus helps lowering the
risk of heart disease.
The second benefits of asparagus are that it helps lowering the risk of type 2 diabetes. Just like
with heart disease, risk of type 2 diabetes increases with oxidative stress and excessive
inflammation. Asparagus is a good preventive food. After all, it contains high levels of
antioxidants and anti inflammatory properties. Also, asparagus has the ability to improve beta-
cell function and insulin secretion, furthering its ability to lower the risk of type 2 diabetes.
Beta-cells are unique cells in the pancreas that are responsible for producing, storing and
releasing insulin.
The next benefits of asparagus are its ability to stabilize digestion. The fiber and protein of
asparagus help in stabilizing digestion. Both of them help moving food through stomach and
provide relief from discomfort during digestion.

4. Other known benefits of asparagus are slowing down aging, skin protection, prevention of
kidney stones and lowering the risk of cancer.
Source: Benefits of Asparagus