Lettuce: Are You Choosing the Right One?

How Lettuce Promotes a Healthy Lifestyle

Nutrient Content

Vitamins

Minerals

Other

*nutritional info from ( 1 )

Click on each type of lettuce for an in-depth breakdown of their nutritional profile.

How Lettuce Prevents Chronic Disease

How Lettuce Prevents Cancer

Lettuce has several health benefits that can reduce your risk of several types of cancer.

• Lettuce contains a substantial amount of vitamin C, which has been shown to prevent several cancers, including lung, breast, and stomach cancers. ( 2 , 3 , 4 )

  • Specifically, vitamin C helps produce white blood cells. White blood cells are a vital part of your immune response as they help eliminate foreign particles and prevent the spread of cancer cells.

• Cancers are often caused by oxidative stress and chronic inflammation. Often, oxidative stress is driven by an excess number of free radicals present in the body. When in excess form, free radicals are small molecules that attack your tissues and damage many of your body’s systems. Eventually, this allows cancer cells to proliferate to other portions of your body and leads to more deadly cancers. ( 5 )

• However, lettuce provides this essential antioxidant to combat the spread of the cancer cells.

How Lettuce Prevents Diabetes

Studies have shown that lettuce can reduce your risk of type 2 diabetes. Lettuce is low on the glycemic index chart, so it will not drastically affect your blood sugar levels.

High blood sugar levels often cause type 2 diabetes, so it is essential to have foods that are high in fiber and low in their glycemic index levels. Lettuce is not high in fiber content, and you don’t have to worry about increasing your blood sugar levels because it is low in sugar content. ( 6 )

It has also been shown that leafy vegetables, including lettuce, can reduce your risk for type 2 diabetes. One study found that there is a significant reduction in blood sugar levels in individuals who consume them every day compared to the control group. ( 7 )

How Lettuce Prevents Cardiovascular Disease

Lettuce has been shown to reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease. Specifically, lettuce is high in vitamin K. Vitamin K has been shown to reduce your risk for heart disease because it prevents blood clotting from occurring. Blood clotting is often the cause of heart attacks because it restricts blood flow to a region of your body. ( 8 )

Lettuce Promotes a Number of Health Benefits

How Lettuce Promotes Bone Health

Lettuce promotes bone health through its content in vitamin K, calcium, phosphorus, and potassium. All three of these nutrients have been heavily associated with enhanced bone health. ( 9 , 10 , 11 )

Specifically, vitamin K, calcium, phosphorus, and potassium help improve overall bone density and strength and can prevent diseases from occurring, such as osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. ( 12 )

How Lettuce Promotes Eye Health

Lettuce is rich in vitamin A. Vitamin A is essential in night vision. So, the more vitamin A you consume over the course of the day, the better you will be able to see during the night time. ( 13 )