There are many benefits of inositol that affect critical functions in the body. Inositol benefits many common mental disorders like depression and anxiety while helping the body prevent things like cancer and diabetes.
It is a compound that is naturally occurring in everyday foods like certain vegetables and nuts. Many of us don’t take into consideration that an everyday compound found in a lot of our foods has such a big impact on things like brain activity, disease and cell functions.
Ten Inositol Benefits
- Ability to combat depression. When inositol levels are lowered it has direct effects on serotonin and dopamine which regulate mood. Its needed to create 2 chemicals that are responsible for communication between neurotransmitters in the brain.
- Inositol Hexaphosphate has had very positive effects as an alternative treatment method for cancer. This particular form takes iron away from cancer cells rendering them inoperable.
- Very minimal side effects. Since it is a naturally occurring compound from a variety of everyday sources, the side effects are very minimal and are only seen in when taken in large doses.
- Weight loss benefits. Inositol improves weight loss by stimulating the metabolism and helps to break up fat cells. This has great benefits in the liver where fat can create multiple health issues.
- With the above benefit it also has the ability to combine with other compounds to have some really interesting benefits. When choline and inositol are combined it can be used to remove impurities, toxins and fat deposits from the liver. This compound also creates lecithin that protects cells and increases cognitive abilities.
- Affects on hair growth. Hair loss can actually occur because of a deficiency which can be caused many ways. Hair growth is also affected by supplies of vitamin compounds and their availability.
- Improves focus. This is why some energy drinks and supplements use inositol in the ingredients. It improves the communication between transmitters in the brain which improves cognitive ability.
- Beneficial against anxiety. Medical studies have had many positive results when testing it’s interactions with anxiety disorders. The direct connection with serotonin seems to be the common factor with many mental disorders like anxiety and being obsessive compulsive.
- Anti cancer properties. Inositol has been shown to stop blood flow to cancer cells which in return, keep them from growing and promotes the death of cancer cells.
- Blood benefits. Improves blood flow and circulation. When combined with choline it keeps cholesterol from sticking to artery walls. Studies have also shown that it may help to regulate insulin levels and interactions with insulin receptors.
There are a variety of different uses for inositol and as studies continue we will most likely discover that there are inositol benefits that we haven’t even begun to discover yet. 30 years ago we wouldn’t have guessed that it effects cancer cells and tumors.
Beyond that we also wouldn’t know it operates so closely with chemicals like serotonin and dopamine to combat such a major disorder like depression. This is why the studies of natural substances like this are so important, so that we may understand the benefits of everyday substances and use them to their full potential.
