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Shrimps are considered among the most consumed seafood, and there are also health benefits of shrimp1. It is a shellfish consumed with fried, steamed, broiled, baked, or grilled shrimp. We can get to know the many shrimp nutrition facts as it is a delicacy that is tasty and provides various benefits to the body. A shrimp is often confused with a prawn but is more healthy than it.
It is believed that a wild-caught shrimp is more nutritious than a farm-raised shrimp as the latter has many side effects on the person’s health. The reason to think it is unhealthy is the high cholesterol content in the shrimp. Shrimp is mostly made of water and protein. The shrimp has minerals and vitamins like iron, manganese, calcium, magnesium, zinc, potassium, phosphorus, and copper.
Shrimp consumption is more than any seafood as it is used in drinks like the popular shrimp cocktail. Shrimps are high-protein foods that are also low-calorie seafood, and very few people have allergic reactions to eating shrimp. Shrimp is a great food choice for having zero carbohydrates and lean protein. So, we know the answer to the question is whether shrimp is healthy to be consumed, which it is.
Although shrimp has high cholesterol, some of its cholesterol is a dietary cholesterol that does not harm your health. Some people have food allergies or shellfish allergies relating to seafood and cannot eat shrimp or any other seafood. So, while choosing seafood, choose the shrimp laid down on a thick bed of ice and have it. Now let us see some of the health benefits of shrimp.
1. Health Benefits of Shrimp
Shrimp is known for protecting against several chronic diseases and for its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. Shrimp also has various vitamins and minerals that prevent multiple diseases. There are many health benefits of shrimp, but we are only going to discuss 6 of the health benefits of shrimp.
1.1 Heart and Brain Health
Shrimps are known for having high cholesterol but can be consumed as there is also a carotenoid called astaxanthin which is known for improving brain and heart health. The dietary cholesterol in the shrimp is also helping by preventing heart disease. Astaxanthin 2is known for increasing brain cells. So, you can cook shrimp and improve your cognitive health.
The right shrimp nutrition helps with brain health; shrimp also has anti-inflammatory properties that help to prevent Alzheimer’s or memory loss as brain cell damage is prevented. The high shrimp diet will help to improve concentration along with increasing thyroid hormone that helps to boost cognitive health during pregnancy or infancy as it has a good amount of iodine.
Dietary cholesterol does not affect blood cholesterol3, and omega-3 fatty acids help to prevent heart disease. A person’s heart health is achieved as an antioxidant called astaxanthin is present in it that helps treat any cardiovascular disease. Eating fresh shrimp makes you less likely to have heart disease. But if you have high blood pressure, do not eat shrimp in excess, as it will not be good for your overall health.
1.2 Bone Health
One of the many shrimp benefits is to strengthen the bone and improve its overall functioning. Shrimp nutrition facts are that it is rich in animal protein, iron, zinc, phosphorous, vitamin D, Omega 3 fatty acids, and calcium. Calcium is a must to strengthen bones and is in food sources like seafood, meat, and milk.
To strengthen bones, you need to choose shrimp with healthy fats, and you can cook shrimp as you like. The fatty acids help to improve bone quality and prevent the bones from decaying. A cooked shrimp will be more nutritious than a raw shrimp as other ingredients will increase the nutrients. A healthy shrimp food would be eaten with stir fries and home cooked.
The health benefit of shrimp is not only to strengthen bones but also to increase body mass and bone mass and slow down the deterioration of bone quality which helps to prevent the symptoms of osteoporosis4. Shrimp intake at least once a week would help with age-old bone problems and others.
1.3 Anti-Aging and Hair Loss
Shrimp is known for having antioxidant properties that prevent skin from aging and hair loss. The astaxanthin, present in cooked shrimp, helps protect oneself from the sun’s harmful UV rays. The UV rays directly exposed to the skin can damage both the skin cells and hair loss is accelerated, leading to early aging of a person. So, try to keep yourself safe from those harmful UV rays.
Astaxanthin has antioxidant properties that help to subdue the cell damage caused by UV rays. It also acts as a defense mechanism that improves the antioxidants in the body. The shrimp also has sugar that helps to protect against the UV damage caused on the skin and the hair. The proteins we gain from eating fish like shrimp help us have anti-aging skin for a long time.
1.4 Anti-Inflammatory and Menstrual Pain
There are many health benefits of shrimp because it is among the anti-inflammatory food sources that help to reduce inflammation in the body, unlike most foods. The rash can be caused in any part of the body. Still, as shrimp has anti-inflammatory properties, it helps to repair skin and acts as a defense mechanism protecting the body. The shrimp helps recover from injuries immediately and inflammatory skin diseases like atopic dermatitis and psoriasis5.
Pink shrimp is available throughout the winter and spring. In general, helps with menstrual pain and treats many women’s health problems caused by inflammation like vaginal, uterus, cervical, and pelvic inflammatory disease. The omega-3 fatty acids present helps with moodiness, fatigue, tender breasts, and food cravings. These help to control the PMS, and the period pain is also reduced in the process.
1.5 Weight Management and Gastrointestinal Health
A shrimp is healthy as there are no calories or carbohydrates, and the saturated fats are not stored in the body. If your target is weight loss, a large shrimp should be included in your diet. Zinc helps to control overeating, and saturated fat helps to manage weight as there is a hormone called leptin 6in zinc which helps to achieve the goal of weight loss. So include shrimp in your diet more often as you gain vitamins and minerals but no calories and carbs.
Shrimp also has iodine that helps to regulate body weight loss with the help of the thyroid. The thyroid is an important gland that helps maintain a person’s metabolism and body weight. The astaxanthin present in shrimp helps to prevent stomach aches and helps to support gastrointestinal health. Iodine present not only helps to maintain gastrointestinal health but also in pregnancy for developing brain power.
1.6 Improves Eye Health and Protects from Cancer
Eye health is among the many health benefits of shrimp. There is food safety when choosing shrimp as the fresh cold water fish has astaxanthin and vitamin e, which help to maintain good eye health by preventing the retina from excess sunlight and oxidation damage. So do not try to avoid shrimp due to its trans fats as they do not have much effect on the body.
The astaxanthin and omega 3 fatty acids help protect from the cancer cells, so shrimp is to be included in the diet to ward off the cancer cells from the body. So deep frying frozen shrimp can be included in your diet as it is healthy and delicious at the same time. You may also have a shrimp cocktail with fresh ice.
2. Conclusion
We have seen 6 health benefits of shrimp improved heart and brain health, bone health, anti-aging and hair loss, anti-inflammatory and menstrual pain easing, weight management & gastrointestinal health, and improved eye health & protection from cancer. There are also other benefits like mood boosters or improving women’s health.
Even if some people may experience an allergic reaction that is a life-threatening anaphylaxis after eating shrimp but cannot deny all the health benefits of shrimp; nonetheless, shrimp healthy can be consumed by boiling, deep frying, braising, and steaming. The astaxanthin in the shrimp is a useful component that helps solve various diseases.
So try to include shrimp in your daily or weekly diet as there are plenty of health benefits of shrimp, but it should be taken in a controlled proportion. There are many recipes for shrimp with coconut milk, tree nuts, or parsley available in different flavors. It would be best if you tried to have wild-caught shrimp rather than farm-raised shrimp, as it is more healthy & nutritious.
3. FAQs
3.1 Do Shrimps Have a Lot of Cholesterol?
Although shrimps have a higher cholesterol content than certain other types of seafood, it is nevertheless regarded as a healthy food. Since most people’s blood cholesterol levels are not significantly affected by dietary cholesterol, modest prawn consumption is unlikely to have a negative effect on your health.
3.2 Can Eating Shrimps Make You More Susceptible to Allergies?
Shrimps along with other sorts of seafood may cause allergic reactions in some people. Shrimp allergies can result in symptoms like hives, itching, and breathing difficulties. You should consult a medical expert if you have a history of seafood allergies or if you develop symptoms after consuming prawns.
3.3 Is Eating Raw Shrimps Safe?
No, eating raw shrimps is not a good idea. Hazardous bacteria that can lead to foodborne illness may be present in raw prawns. Before eating, prawns should be properly prepared to reduce the risk of disease.
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- Stachowiak, Barbara, and Piotr Szulc. “Astaxanthin for the food industry.” Molecules 26.9 (2021): 2666. ↩︎
- Barone Gibbs, Bethany, et al. “Physical activity as a critical component of first-line treatment for elevated blood pressure or cholesterol: who, what, and how?: a scientific statement from the American Heart Association.” Hypertension 78.2 (2021): e26-e37. ↩︎
- Clynes, Michael A., et al. “The epidemiology of osteoporosis.” British medical bulletin 133.1 (2020): 105-117. ↩︎
- Armstrong, April W., and Charlotte Read. “Pathophysiology, clinical presentation, and treatment of psoriasis: a review.” Jama 323.19 (2020): 1945-1960. ↩︎
- Obradovic, Milan, et al. “Leptin and obesity: role and clinical implication.” Frontiers in endocrinology 12 (2021): 585887. ↩︎
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