YAM AS A KICKER

                             
If somebody recommended a hot meal of yam or potato porridge as a way of boosting our fertility, it is likely to leave you with some surprise. You might as well tell the emergency alternative practioner that it has always part of the regular meals for most Africans. The riches of food to man is inestimable but perhaps, for the casual nature which is attached to dinning activities, the import of health side is really lost.


   But for some time now, the theory has been that the frequency of multiple births, resulting in twins, triplets or more in Nigeria has been tied to the consumption of yam or sweet potato. The country is reckoned to have the highest number of multiple births in the world according to researchers.
   The veracity of the claim may arise from the inherent attributes of these tubers that, experts say, contain substances believed to increase the stimulation of the follicles, a part of the reproductive system.
   The theory, says researchers, is ‘Yams are rich in hormones-like substances that trigger the release of other hormones, including one called follicle-stimulating hormones ,FSH.This FSH found in high levels Yoruba mother of twins, is thought to stimulate the ovaries to release more than one ovum, setting the stage for than one conception. It is also said that the wealthier people who had stopped eating yams have record of multiple births.
 Anti –cancer agent beyond the fertility issue, which may stir more researchers studies, it is reported that this class of food appears to act as a protective agent against lung cancer. Studies have shown that its consumption is particularly beneficial to smokers who are more prone to lung cancer. However, moralizing on the issues, experts warn that smokers should not count on such foods as antidotes to continue in the indulgence; smokers’ are likely more liable to come down with lung cancer than nonsmokers though both groups eat vegetable. Binders for cholesterol studies have shown the potential for sweet potato to lower blood cholesterol probably because cholesterol – reducing power is listed among the attributes. The fiber also proved good in taking up the cholesterol as well .Due to the other biochemical findings, experts caution that those suffering from diabetes is at risk of pumping up their blood sugar.