{"id":17348,"date":"2024-02-03T08:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-02-03T07:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/?p=17348"},"modified":"2024-02-01T09:37:29","modified_gmt":"2024-02-01T08:37:29","slug":"six-popular-claims-on-health-benefits-of-cucumber-fact-checked","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/six-popular-claims-on-health-benefits-of-cucumber-fact-checked\/","title":{"rendered":"Six popular claims on health benefits of cucumber fact-checked"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Full Text <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Cucumber<\/a> is a fruit commonly thought to be a vegetable. They are low in calories but high in many important vitamins and minerals like Vitamin C, Vitamin K, Protein, Magnesium, Potassium, etc. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cucumbers have a high water content of about 96%. HealthLine recommends eating unpeeled to maximise their nutrient content because peeling reduces the amount of fibre and some vitamins and minerals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Recently, an image containing a list of health benefits credited to cucumbers was shared<\/a> by Afedo Ojo on a Facebook group called IDOP. IGALA DAUGHTERS PROMOTION. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

While it is public knowledge that different fruits have different health benefits, the number of benefits accredited to cucumbers in this list raised our curiosity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Health issues are vital, and the information available to the public largely determines their health decisions, so DUBAWA decided to verify the different assertions about cucumber.   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Claim 1: Cucumber dissolves kidney stone<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kidney stones<\/a>, also called renal calculi, nephrolithiasis or urolithiasis, are hard deposits of minerals and salts inside the kidney. They are formed when urine contains crystal-forming substances like calcium, oxalate and uric acid more than the fluid the urine can dilute. Kidney stones can affect any part of the urinary tract (from the kidney to the bladder).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to Summit Medical Clinic<\/a>, diuretic foods help flush out kidney stones and kidney stone-forming minerals. Common foods like celery, parsley, brussels sprouts, cucumbers, watermelon, and asparagus were listed with diuretics. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

An article by OnlyMyHealth<\/a> highlights the helpful properties of cucumber, like the water for hydration, nitrate content, antioxidant properties and others that help prevent the formation of kidney stones. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Nephrologist, Ivan Porter, speaking to Mayo Clinic, said<\/a> with kidney stones, the most important thing to focus on is prevention and fruits and vegetables with high water content, like cucumber, tomato and watermelon, have natural citrate, which are stone inhibitors. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

“These things are natural stone inhibitors and can be a part of a stone prevention plan to help prevent further kidney stone formation.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Verdict: MISLEADING <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cucumbers high in water, nitrates, and antioxidants help flush out kidney stones and prevent them from forming but do not dissolve them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Claim 2: Cucumbers are anti-cancerous<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

An article by the Cancer Centre for Healing<\/a> highlights the nutritional value of cucumbers, like antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, and fibre, which can support overall health and potentially reduce cancer risk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It further noted that cucumbers contain cancer-fighting compounds like lignans and phytochemical (cucurbitacin) content that can help fight cancer cells.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to an article<\/a> in the International Journal of Health Services, cucurbitacins may help prevent cancer by stopping cancer cells from reproducing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Similarly, a 2022 study<\/a> on Sea cucumber showed that sea cucumber protein had potential anti-cancer activity, including apoptosis induction, metastasis suppression on tumour cells, and the effect of cell cycle arrest. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This study notes that sea cucumbers are a promising candidate for treating and preventing human cancers. Cucumbers have also been recommended for breast cancer<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Verdict: MISLEADING  <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

While cucumbers have cancer-fighting properties, it does not make cucumbers anti-cancerous. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Claim 3: Cucumber heals stomach ulcer <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kvings Australia includes cucumber in its ulcer ease juice recipe<\/a> because cucumbers are an alkaline food rich in nutrients that assist in healing gastric and duodenal ulcers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to a study published by Science Direct in 2017<\/a>, some natural foods like cucumbers showed significant antacid activity like restoring the natural gastric balance and function, curbing acid reflux, aiding digestion, reducing the burning sensation due to hyperacidity and soothing the inflamed mucosa of the stomach. <\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Verdict: TRUE<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cucumbers have been found to show antacid activities; that is, they neutralise the acid in the stomach. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Claim 4: Cucumber regulates blood pressure <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

An article by PharmEasy noted<\/a> that cucumbers help lower blood pressure, thus reducing the risk of heart disease because they are a good source of potassium, magnesium and dietary fibre.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Medical News Today<\/a> also noted that cucumbers rich in fibre help manage cholesterol and prevent related cardiovascular problems, some of which are caused by high blood pressure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Healthline<\/a>, in one of its articles, explains that one contributing factor to high blood pressure is sodium (having too much salt) and too little potassium in your diet. When salt is in excess, it causes the body to hold fluids, which raises blood pressure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Potassium, an electrolyte that helps regulate the amount of sodium retained by the kidneys, is contained in cucumbers.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Verdict: TRUE<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Several medical articles show that cucumbers help lower blood pressure because of their potassium content. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Claim 5: Cucumber relieves headaches <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Articles by Entity<\/a> and Lehigh Centre<\/a> explain that cucumbers are helpful in the relief of headaches because of their high water content, which tackles dehydration, which causes headaches. <\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Verdict: TRUE<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Claim 6: Cucumber promotes healthy skin <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This article by Medical News Today<\/a> notes that applying sliced cucumber directly to the skin can help cool and soothe the skin and reduce swelling or irritation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is also said to alleviate sunburn. When placed on the eyes, they can help decrease morning puffiness. PhramEasy<\/a> also lists better skin as one of the benefits of cucumbers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This study<\/a> by the National Library of Medicine reveals that although highly toxic, cucurbitacins have proven pharmacological effectiveness against inflammation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jarlife<\/a>\u2019s Journal of Ageing Research and Lifestyle suggests that cucumbers may benefit skin health as they show slow age-related cellular deterioration.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Verdict: TRUE<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Studies and health articles reveal several skin benefits of cucumbers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Our findings reveal that while some of these attributed health benefits are true, some are misleading.  <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Full Text  Cucumber is a fruit commonly thought to be a vegetable. They are low in calories but high in many important vitamins and minerals like Vitamin C, Vitamin K, Protein, Magnesium, Potassium, etc.  Cucumbers have a high water content of about 96%. HealthLine recommends eating unpeeled to maximise their nutrient content because peeling reduces the amount of fibre and some vitamins and minerals. Recently, an image containing a list of health benefits credited to cucumbers was shared by Afedo Ojo on a Facebook group called IDOP. IGALA DAUGHTERS PROMOTION.  While it is public knowledge that different fruits have different health benefits, the number of benefits accredited to cucumbers in this list raised our curiosity. Health issues are vital, and the information available to the public largely determines their health decisions, so DUBAWA decided to verify the different assertions about cucumber.    Claim 1: Cucumber dissolves kidney stone Kidney stones, also called renal calculi, nephrolithiasis or urolithiasis, are hard deposits of minerals and salts inside the kidney. They are formed when urine contains crystal-forming substances like calcium, oxalate and uric acid more than the fluid the urine can dilute. Kidney stones can affect any part of the urinary tract (from the kidney to the bladder). According to Summit Medical Clinic, diuretic foods help flush out kidney stones and kidney stone-forming minerals. Common foods like celery, parsley, brussels sprouts, cucumbers, watermelon, and asparagus were listed with diuretics.  An article by OnlyMyHealth highlights the helpful properties of cucumber, like the water for hydration, nitrate content, antioxidant properties and others that help prevent the formation of kidney stones.  A Nephrologist, Ivan Porter, speaking to Mayo Clinic, said with kidney stones, the most important thing to focus on is prevention and fruits and vegetables with high water content, like cucumber, tomato and watermelon, have natural citrate, which are stone inhibitors.  “These things are natural stone inhibitors and can be a part of a stone prevention plan to help prevent further kidney stone formation.\u201d Verdict: MISLEADING  Cucumbers high in water, nitrates, and antioxidants help flush out kidney stones and prevent them from forming but do not dissolve them.  Claim 2: Cucumbers are anti-cancerous An article by the Cancer Centre for Healing highlights the nutritional value of cucumbers, like antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, and fibre, which can support overall health and potentially reduce cancer risk. It further noted that cucumbers contain cancer-fighting compounds like lignans and phytochemical (cucurbitacin) content that can help fight cancer cells. According to an article in the International Journal of Health Services, cucurbitacins may help prevent cancer by stopping cancer cells from reproducing. Similarly, a 2022 study on Sea cucumber showed that sea cucumber protein had potential anti-cancer activity, including apoptosis induction, metastasis suppression on tumour cells, and the effect of cell cycle arrest.  This study notes that sea cucumbers are a promising candidate for treating and preventing human cancers. Cucumbers have also been recommended for breast cancer.  Verdict: MISLEADING   While cucumbers have cancer-fighting properties, it does not make cucumbers anti-cancerous.  Claim 3: Cucumber heals stomach ulcer  Kvings Australia includes cucumber in its ulcer ease juice recipe because cucumbers are an alkaline food rich in nutrients that assist in healing gastric and duodenal ulcers. According to a study published by Science Direct in 2017, some natural foods like cucumbers showed significant antacid activity like restoring the natural gastric balance and function, curbing acid reflux, aiding digestion, reducing the burning sensation due to hyperacidity and soothing the inflamed mucosa of the stomach.  Verdict: TRUE Cucumbers have been found to show antacid activities; that is, they neutralise the acid in the stomach.  Claim 4: Cucumber regulates blood pressure  An article by PharmEasy noted that cucumbers help lower blood pressure, thus reducing the risk of heart disease because they are a good source of potassium, magnesium and dietary fibre. Medical News Today also noted that cucumbers rich in fibre help manage cholesterol and prevent related cardiovascular problems, some of which are caused by high blood pressure.  Healthline, in one of its articles, explains that one contributing factor to high blood pressure is sodium (having too much salt) and too little potassium in your diet. When salt is in excess, it causes the body to hold fluids, which raises blood pressure.  Potassium, an electrolyte that helps regulate the amount of sodium retained by the kidneys, is contained in cucumbers. Verdict: TRUE Several medical articles show that cucumbers help lower blood pressure because of their potassium content.  Claim 5: Cucumber relieves headaches  Articles by Entity and Lehigh Centre explain that cucumbers are helpful in the relief of headaches because of their high water content, which tackles dehydration, which causes headaches.  Verdict: TRUE Claim 6: Cucumber promotes healthy skin  This article by Medical News Today notes that applying sliced cucumber directly to the skin can help cool and soothe the skin and reduce swelling or irritation.  It is also said to alleviate sunburn. When placed on the eyes, they can help decrease morning puffiness. PhramEasy also lists better skin as one of the benefits of cucumbers.  This study by the National Library of Medicine reveals that although highly toxic, cucurbitacins have proven pharmacological effectiveness against inflammation. Jarlife\u2019s Journal of Ageing Research and Lifestyle suggests that cucumbers may benefit skin health as they show slow age-related cellular deterioration. Verdict: TRUE Studies and health articles reveal several skin benefits of cucumbers.  Conclusion Our findings reveal that while some of these attributed health benefits are true, some are misleading.  <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":17349,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"hannibal_claim_source":"","hannibal_source_label":"","hannibal_card_color":"blue","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_wpscppro_dont_share_socialmedia":false,"_wpscppro_custom_social_share_image":0,"_facebook_share_type":"","_twitter_share_type":"","_linkedin_share_type":"","_pinterest_share_type":"","_linkedin_share_type_page":"","_instagram_share_type":"","_medium_share_type":"","_threads_share_type":"","_google_business_share_type":"","_bluesky_share_type":"","_mastodon_share_type":"","_selected_social_profile":[],"_wpsp_enable_custom_social_template":false,"_wpsp_social_scheduling":{"enabled":false,"datetime":null,"platforms":[],"status":"template_only","dateOption":"today","timeOption":"now","customDays":"","customHours":"","customDate":"","customTime":"","schedulingType":"absolute"},"_wpsp_active_default_template":true},"categories":[437,1571,3812,121,3815],"tags":[],"verdict":[],"ppma_author":[1106],"class_list":["post-17348","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-facebook-checks","category-fact-check","category-headline","category-health","category-homepage"],"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p8R6dE-4vO","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"authors":[{"term_id":1106,"user_id":0,"is_guest":1,"slug":"lois-ugbede","display_name":"Lois Ugbede","avatar_url":{"url":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Lois.jpg","url2x":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Lois.jpg"},"author_category":"","user_url":"","last_name":"","first_name":"","job_title":"","description":""}],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/cucumber.jpg?fit=640%2C480&ssl=1","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17348","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17348"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17348\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":17351,"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17348\/revisions\/17351"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/17349"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17348"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17348"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17348"},{"taxonomy":"verdict","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/verdict?post=17348"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ppma_author?post=17348"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}