Watercress: Heart, Bone And Eye Health Benefits Explained

We’ve written before at HuffPost UK about the 41 fruits and vegetables deemed the most nutrient-dense (according to a 2014 paper).

These “powerhouse” items had to provide at least 10% more of 17 nutrients – including potassium, fibre, and protein – per 100 calories than other foods.

Watercress made the top of the list, with a perfect nutrient density score of 100.

Here are four benefits that come from eating it…

One study found that eating watercress extract lowered low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, or “bad” cholesterol, in rats.

It also counts as a cruciferous vegetable, which has been found to reduce the risk of heart disease by 16% (this time for humans).

Watercress is also high in nitrates, which researchers think could lower blood pressure.

A paper found that watercress and one of its components, rutin, seemed “beneficial in stimulating the osteoblastic activity that results in bone formation”.

In other words, it might help to strengthen and protect our bones from things like osteoporosis, which makes them less dense and weaker. That loss of strength can make it easier for fractures to form.

Men who ate watercress alongside a high-fat meal (at least 40% of its calories came from fat) had lower post-meal blood sugar levels than those who consumed the same dish without it, a 2021 paper showed.

A four-week trial also found that watercress extract may have lowered blood sugar in diabetic rats, too.

Watercress contains lutein and zeaxanthin, antioxidants which have been associated with a lower risk of macular degeneration as we age.

The leaf is also rich in vitamin C, which might help to protect our eye health – especially from blue light emitted by devices like our phones and laptops.