Magic Mangoes: Study Finds Mango Aids Weight Loss and Heart

Diet and nutrition is a big wellness concern during the summer. Not only are you looking after that bikini body, but the warmer weather makes you fancy something a little fresher and fruitier than your usual winter warmer. According to a new study, if you really want to take care of your wellbeing this season – and throughout the year – you can’t go wrong with a bit of mango.

 

Recently published in the Journal of Nutrition and Food Sciences, the new study found that there was a link between mango consumption and better diet quality and nutrition intake in adults and children. Not only did adults who consumed mango have a better overall diet, but they were more likely to consume more whole fruit and certain nutrients (including dietary fibre and potassium), have a lower body weight and lower levels of C-reactive protein. This is a measure of inflammation that may be associated with cardiovascular risk.

 

For the study, the researchers looked at the diets of more than 29,000 children and adults participating in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) between 2001 and 2008. They then determined diet quality relative to federal dietary guidance using the Healthy Eating Index (HEI). According to study author Dr. Victor Fulgoni III, of Nutrition Impact, LLC, ‘Overall, the results found in this study show that people who consume mangos tended to have better intake of nutrients like potassium, vitamin C and dietary fibre, contributing to better overall diet quality than those who do not. This research also underscores the importance of helping individuals identify fruits such as mangos that can be readily incorporated into their diets for greater variety.’

 

The study “Mangoes are Associated with Better Nutrient Intake, Diet Quality, and Levels of Some Cardiovascular Risk Factors: National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey,” was supported with funding from the National Mango Board (NMB) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service. Megan McKenna, National Mango Board’s director of marketing, commented, “Mangos are by far one of the tastiest ways to consume more than 20 vitamins, minerals and antioxidants all in one bite. With such great flavour and nutritional benefits, mangos are clearly a smart addition to anyone’s diet.”

Categories: Health Benefits, Mango, Research

Can Mango Help You to Prevent or Manage Your Diabetes?

If mango is not on your shopping list, your wellbeing may be suffering as a result. This is according to a number of new and previous studies which suggest that including mango in your diet or in supplement form can have a significant beneficial impact on your wellness, including fighting the good fight against type 2 diabetes and cancer.

Some of the latest information on the health benefits of mangos was presented at the recent Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB) gathering, with researchers noting one study in which obese animals consumed 10 grams of freeze-dried mango every day for 12 weeks. The results of this experiment revealed that the blood sugar levels in the animals declined, which could make mango a helpful tool in your management of type 2 diabetes.

Edralin Lucas, PhD, who led the study, commented, ‘Although the mechanism by which mango exerts its effects warrants further investigation, we do know that mangos contain a complex mixture of polyphenolic compounds.’ Polyphenolic compounds, or polyphenols, are a natural chemical found in plants. There are over 4,000 different polyphenols, which work towards your wellness because they are antioxidants, meaning they fight the disease-causing, cell-damaging free radicals in your body.

However, this study is not the first to find that mango can help to fight diabetes. In 2011, researchers conducted a study in which the explored how freeze-dried mango might lower lipids and tackle diabetes in mice that had been fed a high-fat (HF) diet. Compared to drugs, the researchers found that mango ‘improved glucose tolerance and lipid profile and reduced adiposity [fat] associated with a HF diet.’

If you have, or are at risk of, type 2 diabetes, one thing your doctor might advise you to do is to lose weight – but can mango help with this? Based on studies that indicate African mango extract (Irvingia gabonensis) is effective in reducing body weight and improving metabolic factors in people who are overweight, some experts believe it can. A recent study in the Journal of Dietary Supplements reported on the results of three randomized controlled trials, noting that the studies suggested significant reductions in weight and waist circumference when compared with placebo.

Can Mango Help You to Prevent or Manage Your Diabetes?

Categories: Diabetes, Diabetes Management, diet, dried mango, freeze dried, hf diet, Mango, polyphenolic compounds, study, type, Weight Loss