Sea Cucumber Health and Medicinal Benefits
When you first hear the name “sea cucumber,” you likely think of a vegetable. It certainly sounds like one. However, despite the name, a sea cucumber is actually a marine animal. Their name comes from their appearance. They are long and thin with a leathery skin that makes them look similar to cucumbers.
Eating sea cucumbers is quite common in many cultures, including France, Hawaii, and East and Southeast Asia. They can be used fresh or dried in several recipes. When dried, they are often used as an ingredient in soups and stews.
They an also be eaten raw, as sashimi or sunomono, or salted and fermented.
There are several significant health benefits to eating these marine animals. Learning about the health, nutritional, and medicinal benefits of eating sea cucumber can help you understand why this may be a good food to include in your diet.
Sea Cucumber Nutritional Benefits
Sea cucumbers are quite high in many important vitamins and nutrients. They are also a good choice of protein. Eating enough protein is crucial for good health, as it is the building block of your muscles. Eating healthy protein sources is also good for your bones, metabolism, energy levels, and more[i]. It also helps you stay fuller for longer, which can reduce cravings and overeating, helping you maintain a healthy body weight.
100 grams of sea cucumber contains 23% of your daily value of protein as well as 72% of your daily value of riboflavin (vitamin B2)[ii]. They are also low in fat and contain calcium, niacin (vitamin B6), magnesium, and vitamin A[iii].
This makes them a very healthy food to consume. Based on the number of calories per nutrient, they are a good food for people who want to get the greatest possible health benefits from their meals while still watching the number of calories they eat.
Sea cucumbers also contain significant amounts of collagen[iv], which is a vital part of the body’s connective tissue. Collagen also accounts for about 30% of your body’s protein. It provides structure to your skin, bones, connective tissues, and muscles[v]. In addition to keeping your joints healthy, collagen helps improve your skin elasticity and stretchiness. This helps you look younger and healthier[vi].
Health Benefits
In addition to nutrients, vitamins, and other important properties that sea cucumbers possess, eating them is also beneficial for their health benefits. In fact, sea cucumbers have been used for medicinal purposes by many cultures for generations.
Consuming sea cucumber may help reduce your risk of liver damage, as can reduce oxidative stress[vii]. While only tested in rats at this point, oxidative stress plays a significant role in liver disease[viii]. Oxidative stress refers to an imbalance of free radicals and antioxidants inside your body. It can lead to cell damage[ix]. Pollution, smoke, and other toxins lead to oxidative stress. This stress plays a significant role in cancer and Alzheimer’s disease. Lowering oxidative stress can also help reduce your risk of other diseases such as diabetes, cancer, and heart disease.
Sea cucumbers also contain phenol, which helps reduce inflammation in the body. Chronic inflammation has been linked to several serious health issues such as cancer, heart disease, diabetes, arthritis, depression, and Alzheimer's disease[x]. While inflammation is often caused by lifestyle (such as dietary choices, smoking, exercise habits, alcohol, and stress), it can be reduced by the foods we eat[xi].
They also contain holostane triterpene glycosides, which has antibacterial properties as well as antitumor, anti-radiation and other useful properties[xii].
Sea cucumbers are also considered to have other medicinal and healing properties, and are often used to treat ailments like arthritis, cancer, frequent urination, and impotence[xiii].
Eating Sea Cucumber
As mentioned, there are many ways to eat sea cucumber. On its own, sea cucumber has quite a neutral taste, similar to tofu. This means that it is typically cooked in ways that allow it to absorb the flavours of other foods.
It is often used in soups, stir-fries, or braised. Sea cucumber is often cooked with mushrooms, pork, vegetables, and is frequently fried or pickled.
There are a wide variety of ways to eat sea cucumber, and it can even be used as a substitute in other recipes. For instance, it is a popular replac
References:
[i] “10 Science-Backed Reasons to Eat More Protein” Healthline. Retrieved 12 September 2024. https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/10-reasons-to-eat-more-protein
[ii] “Sea cucumber Yane (Alaska native)” Eat This Much. Retrieved 12 September 2024. https://www.eatthismuch.com/calories/sea-cucumber,5637
[iii] “Sea Cucumber: An Unusual Food with Health Benefits” Healthline. Retrieved 12 September 2024. https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/sea-cucumber#nutrition
[iv] “Can You Eat Sea Cucumber and Are There Health Benefits?” MedicineNet. Retrieved 12 September 12, 2024. https://www.medicinenet.com/eat_sea_cucumber_and_are_there_health_benefits/article.htm
[v] “Collagen” Cleveland Clinic. Retrieved 12 September 2024. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/23089-collagen
[vi] “Health Benefits of Collagen” WebMD. Retrieved 12 September 2024. https://www.webmd.com/diet/collagen-health-benefits
[vii] “Health Benefits of Sea Cucumber” WebMD. Retrieved 12 September 2024. https://www.webmd.com/diet/health-benefits-sea-cucumber
[viii] “Redox state and methods to evaluate oxidative stress in liver damage: From bench to bedside.” Annals of Hepatology. Retrieved 12 September 2024. https://www.elsevier.es/en-revista-annals-hepatology-16-articulo-redox-state-methods-evaluate-oxidative-S1665268119306702
[ix] “Oxidative Stress”C leveland Clinic. Retrieved 12 September 2024. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/oxidative-stress
[x] “Foods that fight inflammation” Harvard Medical School. Retrieved 12 September 2024. https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/foods-that-fight-inflammation
[xi] “9 healthy eating tips that can help reduce inflammation” UC Davis Health. Retrieved 12 September 2024. https://health.ucdavis.edu/blog/good-food/9-healthy-eating-tips-that-can-help-reduce-inflammation/2023/11
[xii] “Glycosides from edible sea cucumbers stimulate macrophages via purinergic receptors” Nature.com Retrieved 12 September 2024. https://www.nature.com/articles/srep39683
[xiii] “Sea Cucumber: An Unusual Food with Health Benefits” Healthline. Retrieved 12 September 2024. https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/sea-cucumber#uses
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