Health benefits of snail

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By Odigbo Chidinma and Amos Janet

Several researches have revealed that snails have got really amazing health benefits even though they are repulsive to many people. Rated among the few animals with so much medicinal values and less fat, snail is a common name loosely applied to shelled gastropods.

Here are some of the benefits that are derivable from eating snails.

• Prevent cardio disease: This is one of the most important benefits of eating snail. It reduces blood and also very effective in reducing heart related diseases such as hypertension, cardiac arrest, stroke , high blood pressure and many more.
• Prevents stroke: Snail contains active substances that relaxes the brain and it also contains chemicals that repair the broken cells which occur as a result of stroke. Stroke is caused when the blood pressure is high thereby resulting to a partial obstruction in the brain activities which in turn results to partial collapse of some parts of the body.  Snail also prevents diabetes as it does not contain sugar but helps to break down its contents in the body.
• Snails are also beneficial for skin beauty and also assist in the development of the brain and memory of children. Omega-3 is very good to improve the brain health because it affects the development of cell membranes in the neurological system in the brain, thereby improving memory for those who often forgetful
• Promotes healthy eyes. In 100 grams of snails are also contained 100 UI Vitamin A that is good for the eyes. Snail also helps the physical and mental development of children who frequently consume omega 3.
• Healthy fetus. Pregnant women who consume Omega-3 can make more babies born healthy and intelligent; it also improves the quality of breast milk. Omega-3 is essential for improving mental and physical health of the baby.
• Snail in addition to containing Vitamin E, mucus can be used to treat inflamed pimples. In developed countries, there are lots of snail slime processing with advanced technology which serve as the base material for beauty products. In addition, the snail slime can help regenerate the skin and facial wrinkles.
• Contains choline. Choline is an important water-soluble vitamin, which are often classified by the vitamin B group. Choline has many important functions; including being an integral part of the cell membrane. The raw material for the neurotransmitter acetylcholine and donors to the methyl group is required by a number of vital processes in the body. The liver is an organ that can produce some choline, but most needed by the body. So it must be obtained from food sources. The recommended daily choline intake for men is 550 mg, and 425 mg for the woman, while the snail contains 65 mg.
• Contains vitamin such as vitamin A, E, niacin, and foliate. Vitamin A is good for the eyes, vitamin E is good for cell regeneration and skin care, niacin has a role in the carbohydrates metabolism to produce energy and folate is good for the pregnant women.

In addition to all these health benefits, snails are tasty, juicy and serve as an excellent and inexpensive source of iron for children and young mothers. The content or percentage of iron that we can get from snails is more than what we can get from most of the other types of meat. Being a source of iron, it builds a stronger and healthier bone, muscles, and even the teeth. Meat extract and snail slime also contain benefits for treating the lining inflammation of the eye, pain due to menstruation, itching, toothache and others.