Celery Root

Celeriac potentially boosts bone and heart health, and it may reduce the risk of diabetes.

Bone health
The vitamin K in celeriac may improve bone health.
Vitamin K intake may affect bone health. Celeriac is a plentiful source of vitamin K, with one cup of raw celeriac providing 64 micrograms (mcg) of this nutrient.

A 2017 review of five studies that included a total of 80,982 participants examined the relationship between vitamin K and bone fractures. The participants with higher dietary vitamin K intake had a lower risk of fractures.

Specifically, the authors noted that the risk of fracture was 22% lower among those with the highest vitamin K intake than among those who consumed the least vitamin K.

Diabetes
Millions of people around the world have type 2 diabetes, a condition that impairs the body’s ability to control blood glucose levels. A healthful diet may reduce a person’s risk of type 2 diabetes.

In a 2012 study that used data from 16,154 people, scientists examined the association between fruit and vegetable intake, including root vegetables, and risk for type 2 diabetes.

They found that the people who ate the most root vegetables had a risk of diabetes that was 13% lower than that of those who consumed the least.

However, a more recent study from 2019 examined the vegetable intake of 424 children and adolescents while also tracking which of them developed metabolic syndrome, a risk factor for diabetes.

The study authors found that eating root vegetables did not affect the likelihood of developing metabolic syndrome.

More research is necessary to confirm the protective benefits of root vegetables, such as celeriac, against diabetes.

Heart health
In one 2015 study involving 2,884 adults, researchers examined the association between plasma ascorbic acid, a marker of vitamin C in the blood, and a person’s risk of high blood pressure.

They found that participants with higher blood levels of ascorbic acid had a lower risk of developing high blood pressure.

Consuming foods that are high in vitamin C, such as celeriac, could help a person reduce their risk of high blood pressure by improving their ascorbic acid levels. High blood pressure is a leading cause of stroke and cardiovascular disease.