What happens to your body if you eat a cucumber every day? Can it really lower blood pressure and blood sugar?

Everyone must be familiar with cucumbers! Cold cucumber salad, scrambled eggs with cucumbers, and cucumber soup all have a fresh taste. Even if you don't have time to cook, it's delicious to eat a cucumber raw. Now is the time when cucumbers are ripe. How can we not eat them on the table and after meals? If you can eat a cucumber every day, what changes will happen to your body? In this article, we will talk about cucumbers, and finally answer your questions about cucumbers.

How nutritious are cucumbers?

Cucumbers are fragrant, crisp and juicy, and are loved by people. They have a very long history. They were first planted in India around 1500 BC, and spread to the Mediterranean region about 1,000 years later. Today, they are an important gourd food in the world. [1] There is a legend about cucumbers in my country: cucumbers were originally called Hugua, which was brought back by Zhang Qian during the Han Dynasty when he was on a diplomatic mission to the Western Regions. Shi Le, the founder of the Later Zhao Dynasty, was superstitious about the word "Hu" and strictly prohibited the use of the word "Hu", so Hugua was renamed cucumber. When people mention cucumbers, the cucumbers that come to mind may look different. This is because there are many varieties of cucumbers. The most common ones are ordinary cucumbers, autumn cucumbers, fruit cucumbers, and old cucumbers. Regardless of the type of cucumber, they all have the common characteristics of being low in calories and very hydrating. The calories are only 14 to 16 kcal/100 g, and the water content is as high as more than 95%. [2] They can be called the "hydrating champion" among vegetables.

Ordinary cucumber. Image source: e-commerce platform

Autumn cucumber and drought cucumber. Image source: author

Fruit cucumber. Image source: e-commerce platform

Cucumbers also have a good potassium content. Although they are not among the top vegetables, they have a juicy taste and are not burdensome to eat. It is difficult for people to eat 200 grams of green leafy vegetables raw at a time, but it is quite easy to eat a cucumber weighing about 200 grams raw. For cucumbers, the key to potassium supplementation is the "quantity"! Eating one ordinary cucumber (about 200 grams) or autumn cucumber (about 150 grams) can ingest 204 mg and 211.5 mg of potassium respectively, which is more than eating 200 grams of lettuce. If you eat fruit cucumbers (one cucumber weighs about 100 grams), you can also ingest 173 mg of potassium. [2] As for the vitamin C, dietary fiber, calcium and other nutritional contents of cucumbers, they are relatively low and have no advantages among vegetables.

Health Benefits of One Cucumber a Day

1

Good for preventing obesity

Cucumbers are low in calories and rich in water. Eating one cucumber as a snack or before a meal can increase satiety and control the amount of food you eat at meals, which is very helpful for weight loss. In addition, cucumber fruits contain succinic acid, which is one of the important sources of organic succinic acid in plants. Succinic acid can inhibit the conversion of carbohydrates into fat in the human body and reduce fat accumulation in the body, but it does not prevent carbohydrates from providing calories and energy to people. [3] This is really good news for those who want to lose weight.

2

Helps control blood pressure

One cucumber can replenish the rich mineral potassium, which is very helpful for controlling blood pressure. For those who need to control blood pressure, eating cucumbers is also a good choice.

3

Helps prevent alcohol poisoning

The study mentioned that the alanine, arginine and glutamine contained in cucumbers have a certain auxiliary therapeutic effect on liver patients, especially those with alcoholic cirrhosis, and can prevent and treat alcohol poisoning. [4] For people who like to drink alcohol, eating more cucumbers can replenish more water, increase urination, help the body metabolize alcohol faster, and reduce damage to the body.

4

Helps control blood sugar

Cucumbers have a very low sugar content. The glucosides and fructose they contain do not participate in sugar metabolism. Diabetics can eat cucumbers instead of starchy foods to satisfy their hunger, which is beneficial for controlling blood sugar. [5]

Many questions about cucumbers, the answers are here

Why is cucumber called “yellow” cucumber?

Many friends may wonder: cucumbers are obviously green, why are they called cucumbers? Why not green cucumbers? In fact, mature old cucumbers are yellow, so they are called cucumbers!

Old cucumber. Photo taken by Xue Qingxin

Compared with fresh autumn cucumbers, mature cucumbers have a higher potassium content, 246 mg/100 g, [2] which is 1.7 times that of fresh autumn cucumbers. They also contain flavonoids, which have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects.

Why are some cucumbers bitter?

Many times when we eat cucumbers, we can taste a distinct bitter taste. This bitter taste is caused by a highly oxidized triterpenoid compound called cucurbitacin. Cucurbitacin is a chemical defense substance used by plants to repel insects. It is widely found in Cucurbitaceae plants such as cucumbers, melons, watermelons, pumpkins and zucchini. In fact, wild cucumbers are very bitter. The cucumbers we grow now have been modified and may have only a little bitterness or even no bitterness at all. [6] The bitter substances in cucumbers are distributed in both leaves and fruits. As the cucumbers grow, the bitter substance content in the fruit will gradually decrease. The bitterness mostly occurs in the stalk, and the bitterness rarely appears at the front. The reason why cucumbers are bitter nowadays is closely related to the growth environment of cucumbers. Bitterness will appear when the growth temperature is lower than 13℃ or higher than 30℃ for a long time; insufficient light during the growth period will also increase the bitterness; improper cultivation methods, such as excessive nitrogen fertilizer, insufficient watering, too long seedling control time, and root injury, will also increase the bitterness.

Can’t eat cucumbers with flowers on top?

Most of the cucumbers on the market look good, with flowers and thorns on top, and look very fresh. However, many people dare not buy such cucumbers, fearing that they have been coated with illegal drugs. There are even rumors that contraceptives are applied to keep the cucumber flowers from withering, which has caused trouble for many consumers.

Copyright images in the gallery. Reprinting and using them may lead to copyright disputes.

In fact, this type of cucumber with flowers on top is treated with a plant growth regulator, the active ingredient of which is chlorfenapyr, which has a good effect in preventing and controlling flower and fruit drop and increasing the fruit set rate. [7] Cucumbers treated with it have a high fruit set rate and full fruits. As long as it is used according to the prescribed usage and dosage, the detection value of chlorfenapyr in cucumber fruits is lower than the EU standard of 0.01 mg/kg, and it can be eaten safely. Some people also use anti-drop agent (sodium p-chlorophenoxyacetic acid) to dip the flowers, but the effect is not as good as chlorfenapyr. As for the rumored contraceptive, there is a study that used the contraceptive drug megestrol acetate to dip cucumber flowers. The results showed that megestrol acetate had no effect on the maintenance of cucumber flowers and fruit enlargement, and could not delay the flowering period of cucumbers and keep the flowers unfaded. [8]

Is it better to bend the cucumber?

Cucumbers can be straight or curved. There are rumors that straight cucumbers have been sprayed with pesticides and are inedible, so it is safer to buy curved cucumbers. In fact, naturally grown cucumbers can be straight or curved, which is mainly affected by the cucumber variety and the growing environment. For example, the cucumber variety L18 is a curved cucumber, while the cucumber variety D9320 is a straight cucumber. [9] In addition, when cucumbers are grown in an environment with insufficient light, insufficient nutrients, low temperature, and lack of water, the probability of producing curved cucumbers will increase. Of course, in order to make cucumbers grow better, plant growth regulators may also be used. Scientific use can improve the growth of cucumbers and increase the proportion of straight cucumbers. These plant growth regulators are all legal to use, and there is no need to worry too much about the safety of cucumbers purchased through formal channels.

Are cucumbers without thorns not fresh?

Some cucumbers on the market are covered with thorns, while others are smooth. Many people think that those without thorns are not fresh. In fact, some cucumbers are fresh without thorns, which is mainly related to the variety. For example, the fruit cucumbers that everyone likes have no thorns, so they are also called thornless cucumbers and Dutch cucumbers. In addition, even for cucumbers with thorns, some varieties have sparse thorns, which can be easily knocked off and become smooth, but it does not mean that they are not fresh. There is no need to worry about whether the cucumber has thorns or not. If the surface of the cucumber is wrinkled and feels soft to the touch, then it is not fresh. In summary: Cucumbers can be regarded as a hydrating artifact in the vegetable world. On the premise of a balanced and nutritious diet, one cucumber a day is crisp, delicious and easy to eat. How do you usually eat cucumbers at home?

References

[1] Harold Mackey, Food and Cooking: Vegetables, Fruits, Spices, and Grains. Translated by Cai Chengzhi. Beijing Fine Arts Photography Publishing House. August 2013.

[2] Yang Yuexin. Chinese Food Composition Table 6th Edition Volume 1[M]. Peking University Medical Press, 2018

[3] You Yuqing, Qin Zhiwei, Zhou Xiuyan, Xin Ming. Analysis of combining ability of succinic acid content in cucumber fruit[J]. Northern Horticulture, 2014(10):19-21

[4] Zhang Yangting, Xi Yanli, Ge Hongjuan, Feng Xiaoyu, Song Chunmei. Analysis of nutritional components of old cucumber[J]. Journal of Jilin Medical College, 2016, 37(2): 84-85

[5] Feng Wei, Zhou Xiaofen, Liu Zhenyu, Yang Junfang. Overview of hypoglycemic plant resources in Hebei Province[J]. Hebei Agricultural Sciences, 2011, 15(6): 74-81

[6] Ma Yongshuo. Biosynthesis, regulation and transport mechanism of bitter substances in cucumber[D]. Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, 2017.

[7] Lai Dengni, Zhang Qun, Shang Xuebo, Tan Huan, Pan Zhaoping, Zhou Yujia, Peng Qinghui. Research progress on the application and safety analysis of plant growth regulators in fruits and vegetables[J]. Food Industry Science and Technology, 2023, 44(11): 451-459

[8] Zhang Zuobiao, Xu Chunmei, Gu Xingfang, Liu Jinglan. Effects of different flower dips on cucumber fruit growth and quality[J]. Chinese Vegetables, 2016(5):10-13

[9] Wang Lili, Ma Weichao, An Xiaojuan, et al. Proteomic study on differences in bending characteristics of cucumber fruit [J/OL]. Journal of Gansu Agricultural University: 1-18 [2023-08-29]. http://kns.cnki.net/kcms/detail/62.1055.S.20230705.1211.010.html

Author: Xue Qingxin, one of the first nutrition instructors of the National Health Commission, and a registered nutritionist in China

Review | Ruan Guangfeng, Deputy Director of Kexin Food and Health Information Exchange Center