Many people believe corn is bad for seniors. However, eating this vegetable can actually provide your elderly loved one with some important health benefits. Kitchener home care experts have put together a list of some of the ways corn can boost your loved one’s health.
Enhances Memory
Eating corn helps the brain function normally, reducing your loved one’s risk of experiencing memory loss. Corn contains high levels of vitamin B1, also known as thiamine. To help his or her body produce acetylcholine, your loved one needs to consume thiamine. Acetylcholine is the neurotransmitter that maintains a person’s memory capability. If your loved one has high levels of acetylcholine, he or she can enhance his or her memory and reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s disease.
Benefits Cardiovascular Health
When your loved one eats corn, he or she receives a good source of folate, which many people refer to as vitamin B9. Consuming the folate in corn helps your loved one lower the amount of homocysteine levels in his or her body. Elevated levels of homocysteine can lead to a heart attack, but lowering these levels reduces the risk of heart attack, stroke, and peripheral vascular disease.
Protects Vision
The antioxidant zeaxanthin, a yellow pigment found in corn, acts as a protective agent. When your loved one eats corn, this antioxidant protects him or her against macular degeneration and other eye diseases caused by aging. Corn also contains beta-carotene and folate, which provide some of the same benefits as zeaxanthin.
Prevents Cancer
Corn contains beta-cryptoxanthin, a chemical similar to beta-carotene. When your loved one eats corn, beta-cryptoxanthin is converted into vitamin A, which has a direct connection with preventing lung cancer development. By eating corn, your loved one consumes the necessary amount of beta-cryptoxanthin to lower his or her risk of lung cancer.
To learn more about senior nutrition, reach out to Home Care Assistance. Our caregivers can prepare healthy meals, take care of grocery shopping, and help with many other important tasks. For more information on the part-time and 24-hour care Kitchener seniors and their families can count on, call one of our qualified Care Managers at (519) 954-2111 to request a free in-home consultation.