Nutritional contents of shrimp

According to the 2017 edition of the Chinese Food Composition Table, shrimps contain a large amount of protein and trace elements such as sodium, calcium, and iron. Take the prawns that people eat daily as an example, and analyze their ingredients and content (the content of various ingredients in the Chinese food ingredient list is measured based on 100g of edible parts). It can be concluded from the table that, in addition to water, prawns contain about 69% protein. At the same time, although the overall content of vitamins and trace elements such as sodium, calcium, and iron in shrimp is low, compared with other meats, the content of vitamins and trace elements in shrimp is still relatively high.

Analysis of nutrient content in shrimp

Can eating shrimp improve immunity?

As early as 2009, it was discovered through animal experiments that protein powder (rich in a variety of proteins) can significantly enhance the immunity of mice. However, due to the different dietary structures and physiological structures of mice and humans, the results of this experiment have certain limitations when applied to humans. For people, protein supplementation can only improve immunity when protein synthesis in the body is insufficient. Excessive intake when the human body is not short of protein will cause metabolic burden on the kidneys and is not good for physical health.

Therefore, protein supplementation can enhance immunity in animal experiments; for humans, protein intake is only required when protein synthesis in the body is insufficient, that is, when exercise intensity is high or when patients suffer from wasting diseases. It is possible to improve immunity by eating protein-rich substances like shrimp.

Can shrimp nourish the kidneys and strengthen yang?

In 2019, experts used male infertility patients as research subjects to study the relationship between seminal plasma zinc content and sperm motility. Research results have found that men with weak fertility generally have lower zinc levels in their seminal plasma. That is, the zinc content in male seminal plasma will affect sperm motility. Shrimp contains a variety of trace elements, including zinc. This may be the source of "eating shrimp can nourish the kidneys and strengthen yang", but can eating shrimp really nourish the kidneys and strengthen yang? To replenish the kidneys and strengthen yang, TCM theory is to achieve a state of changing kidney function through diet, medicine, exercise, Qigong guidance, acupuncture, massage and other methods, but these cannot simply be equated to improving sperm motility. Therefore, eating shrimp may improve sperm motility, but there is no research showing that eating shrimp can nourish the kidneys and strengthen yang.

Can shrimp resist aging?

Shrimp does contain a certain anti-aging ingredient, which is astaxanthin. Astaxanthin was isolated in the 1930s and has a variety of physiological activities and huge medicinal value. As early as 1990, scientists discovered that astaxanthin can prevent in vitro peroxidation of rat liver mitochondria, which provides a good research idea for delaying aging. Because at the cellular level, the culprit that accelerates cellular aging is oxidative damage to mitochondria.

So, can eating shrimp anti-aging? The answer is no. First of all, astaxanthin mainly exists in shrimp shells and is generally not edible as food; secondly, when astaxanthin is taken from the diet, it is difficult to be absorbed by the human body due to the influence of other dietary ingredients.

In short, shrimp has a high protein content and high nutritional value, and is recommended for consumption, but it is not significantly helpful in daily improvement of immunity, kidney tonification, and anti-aging.