13+ Top Health Benefits of Yam Every Nigerian Woman Should Know

Nigeria is the largest producer of yams worldwide. It produces more than 70–76 percent of the world’s yams. Yam is packed with so much nutrient and health benefits that will wow you. This articles will discuss extensively the health benefits of yam.

Description of Yam

Yam refers to a number of plant species in the genus Dioscorea that are farmed for their edible tubers, such as Dioscorea alata (white yam), Dioscorea bulbifera (potato yam), Dioscorea cayenensis (yellow yam), Dioscorea esculenta (Asiatic yam), and Dioscorea batatas (Chinese yam). There are several other poisonous species within the genus.

Yams are perennial herbaceous vines that are native to Asia, Africa, and the Americas. They are grown in many temperate and tropical countries for their starchy tubers. Because there are several cultivars and related species, the tubers themselves—also known as “yams”—come in a range of shapes and sizes.

While yams and sweet potatoes may look similar, yams are less sweet and more starchy than sweet potatoes. Depending on the maturity of the yam, these vegetables can be white, yellow, orange, pink, or purple in color. While yellow, purple, and orange yams are full of complex carbs, antioxidants, and vitamins, white yams are high in potassium. All in all, yams are a healthy dietary option.

Read also: Top 10 Yam Producing States in Nigeria

Yams are known by several names, such as jimikand, colic root, rheumatism root, elephant foo yam, China root, and more. Remember that not all yams are edible. Just 12 of the more than 600 species are suitable for ingestion. Smaller doses of yams are typically seen to be safe to eat, as bigger amounts may cause adverse effects like headaches, nausea, vomiting, skin irritation, and digestive problems.

Nutritional Value of Yam

As we have already discussed, yams are rich in antioxidants, complex carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals. A 100 grams of yam is composed of

Calories – 119 k. cals
Carbohydrates – 27.5 g
Fibre – 3.9 g
Proteins – 1.49 g
Fats – 0.14 g
Cholesterol – 0 g

Minerals and vitamins
A single yam provides a mind-blowing 369% of your daily intake of vitamin A. Yam is also a good source of the vitamins and minerals listed below:

Potassium – 670 mg
Phosphorus – 49 mg
Magnesium – 18 mg
Calcium – 14 mg
Vitamin C – 12.1 mg
Iron – 0.52 mg

Health Benefits of Yam

Yam is beneficial to health. Diosgenin, a substance found in yams, particularly wild yams, affects the synthesis of various helpful hormones in the human body, including oestrogen and dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA). The following are yam’s possible health benefits:

Skin Health: One of the main advantages of yams is that they can improve skin health. Antioxidants, which are abundant in yams, are known to regenerate skin cells and may lessen oxidative damage brought on by free radicals.
Yams also include vitamin C, which aids in the body’s creation of collagen. One protein that works well to keep the skin supple is collagen.
May enhance the balance of hormones: Scientists can create progesterone, estrogen, cortisone, and other hormones for medical purposes using the diosgenin found in yams.
Improving Brain performance: According to a recent study, yam improves cognitive performance. A cognitive handicap can cause confusion and memory loss, among other issues.
Yam is very nutritious because it contains a lot of vitamins and minerals. Additionally, this fruit has a substance called diosgenin that promotes learning and improves brain function.
Rheumatoid arthritis: People with rheumatoid arthritis have joint discomfort, swelling, and inflammation as well as stiffness and pain that limits their range of motion.
Research indicates that yams’ anti-inflammatory qualities may aid in lowering joint inflammation.
Lower cholesterol: For four weeks, mice fed diosgenin extracted from wild yam root had lower levels of LDL (bad) cholesterol and total cholesterol.
Diosgenin may help reduce body weight and cholesterol, according to research findings. Human studies are still necessary, though.
Fertility: Of all the advantages of yam vegetables, this one may be the most important to women. These days, natural hormones are starting to gain popularity as alternatives to hormone replacement therapy.
Numerous studies have demonstrated the significant fertility-promoting properties of yams.
Blood Sugar: Yams are thought to have some blood sugar-regulating properties. Particularly after a meal, the resistant starch in them keeps blood sugar levels from rising.
As a result, the rate of digestion is slowed down, which eventually causes glucose to enter the bloodstream gradually. Because they help control blood sugar levels, purple yams are very advantageous for diabetics.
Menopause: Another advantage of elephant yam is that it helps to lessen menopause symptoms. When treating menopausal symptoms, several doctors use wild yams for estrogen replacement medication.
Wild yam is supposed to help reduce symptoms by raising or stabilizing oestrogen levels in the body.
Digestion: Yams’ resistant starch functions as soluble fibers, which pass through the stomach and intestines undigested. In order to support proper digestion, this feeds the beneficial bacteria in the stomach and boosts the synthesis of digestive enzymes.
Yams are therefore thought to be the greatest food for enhancing digestion.
Gut Health: Dietary fibers included in yams are not broken down in the stomach. Rather, they travel to the intestine where beneficial bacteria aid in the fermentation process.
As a result, fibers improve gut health by feeding the good bacteria in the stomach and assisting them in growing and fighting off bad bacteria and other unwanted objects.
Inflammation: Chronic inflammation has been connected to a number of diseases, including diabetes, obesity, and heart disease. The antioxidants in yams help lower this inflammation.
Yams are one of the finest meals for reducing inflammation, thus they may help control chronic inflammation. Yams are also supposed to lessen the release of immune system inflammatory components and help control irritable bowel syndrome.
Weight Loss: Yams are high in dietary fiber and calories. Studies show that dietary fiber aids in weight loss. Slowly moving through the digestive system, fiber makes people feel fuller in their stomachs for extended periods of time, which helps them resist cravings and overeating.
Cancer: Unusual cell proliferation is the cause of cancer. Furthermore, cancer may occasionally result from free radical oxidative damage.
Numerous antioxidants found in yams may have anticancer effects. A study revealed that yams dramatically slowed the growth of colon tumors. This is due to the fact that antioxidant vitamins lessen the harm that free radicals do to organs, hence halting the spread of cancer cells.
Cramps and Muscular Pain: According to some medical professionals, yams have antispasmodic qualities that can help lessen cramps and spasms in the muscles, especially during menstruation.

Types of Yam

There are numerous types of yam, such as:

White yams from Africa – They go by the names Guinea or Ghana yams as well. Since 5000 B.C., they have been grown in West Africa. In Africa, they are the most widely consumed yams.
Cushcush yams – Originating from the Caribbean, they are well-known for their taste. In the West Indies and South America, they are frequently consumed.
Ube, or purple yams – Native to Asia and Africa, they go by the name “ube” and are most frequently used in Asian cooking. They are a mainstay in tropical nations and grow best in tropical and subtropical climates.
They are rich in antioxidants, which are dietary components that protect your body from damaging chemicals.The pigments called anthocyanins, which have antioxidant qualities, are what give them their true nutritional strength.
Chinese yams – China is the natural home of this yam species. Compared to other yams, this species can grow in more moderate areas. Chinese yams are safe to eat uncooked, unlike other varieties.

Side effects and safety of wild yam

Unlike the common edible yams, there’s not much comprehensive information available about the safety or adverse effects of wild yam as the FDA hasn’t assessed it for medical usage yet.

Despite being a natural substance, wild yam can nonetheless have negative effects. Most people consider wild yam harmless in small quantities. Large doses of wild yam, however, can have unfavorable consequences as well, such as:

vomiting
headaches
nausea
digestive problems
Wild yams can potentially cause allergic reactions in certain persons. For instance, using wild yam as a lotion could irritate your skin.

When selecting a product, seek out producers whose products are renowned for their purity and high quality and who have a track record of accurate labeling.

Certain companies have received sanctions from Trusted Source due to the presence of hazardous pollutants or missing stated substances in their products.

Wild yam should not be used by people with hormone-sensitive diseases like breast cancer or uterine fibroids. Wild yam has the potential to aggravate the situation by influencing the production of estrogen.

Furthermore, there is not enough information to determine whether wild yam is safe for small children, expectant mothers, or nursing mothers. Doctors advise against consuming wild yam during these periods because of this.

There have been reports of drug interactions with wild yam. It may, for instance, interfere with estradiol, a chemical used in some birth control tablets and hormone replacement treatments.

More research is necessary to see whether wild yam interacts with any other drugs. To make sure wild yam is safe to consume, it is imperative to speak with a doctor before using it.

Conclusion

Purchasing yam items from a reliable and genuine farmer or seller is always required. Although yam has historically been used by doctors to cure a variety of illnesses, additional investigation and testing are needed to ascertain the tuber vegetable’s safety and efficacy.

Before using yam, it is always advisable to speak with a doctor because it may combine with other medications and cause unwanted side effects.