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The Health Benefits of Papaya E-mail

papaya


The papaya originates in South and Central America, and it was the Spanish and Portuguese explorers who took papayas to other subtropical lands. The papaya was so revered by the explorers that Christopher Columbus called it "the fruit of the angels."

Hawaii is the major U.S. producer where genetically modified papayas have contaminated organically grown papayas.

Today Brazil is the world’s leading producer of papayas, and other large commercial producers include the United States, Mexico, and Puerto Rico.
 

Health Benefits of Papaya

  • Nutrients
    Papayas are a good source of antioxidants such as carotenes, vitamin C, and flavonoids. They are also a good source of folic acid, vitamins E and A, potassium, and dietary fiber.
  • Digestion
    Papaya, especially when green or unripe, contains papain, an enzyme that aids digestion. This protein-digesting enzyme is used as an ingredient in many meat tenderizers, and is also found in digestive enzyme dietary supplements. Papain is used to treat indigestion, chronic diarrhea and constipation, hay fever, sports injuries and allergies.
  • Cardiovascular
    The leaves of the papaya contain a component called carpaine, and preliminary studies have suggested it to be beneficial to cardiovascular health. Further research is needed to confirm these results.
  • Glycemic Index (GI)
    In a study to determine the GI of various fruits, it was concluded that papaya has an intermediate GI, neither high nor low.
  • Hypertension
    Preliminary studies have concluded that papaya juice contains agents that reduce high blood pressure. Further studies are needed to substantiate this research.
  • Parasites
    Papaya and its seeds have proven anti-parasitic and anti-amoebic activities, and their consumption offers a cheap, natural, harmless, readily available preventive strategy against intestinal parasites.
Nutrient Values of Papaya per 100g
Calories
39kcal
Energy Value
163kj
Total Fat
0.14g
Carbohydrates
9.81g
Sugars
5.90g
Dietary Fiber
1.8g
Protein
0.61g
Sodium
3mg
Zinc
0.07mg
Potassium
257mg
Iron
0.10mg
Magnesium
10mg
Copper
0.016mg
Calcium
24mg
Vitamin C
61.8mg
Vitamin E
0.73mg
Vit. B3 (Niacin)
0.338mg
Vitamin B6
0.019mg
Vit. B1 (Thiamin)
0.027mg
Vit. B2 (Riboflavin)
0.032mg
Carpaine can be dangerous in high doses
References:
1. The Encyclopedia of Healing Foods by Michael Murray, Joseph Pizzorno, and Lara Pizzorno.
2. Benders' Dictionary of Nutrition and Food Technology.
3. USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference.
4. Hornick CA, Sanders LI, Lin YC. Effect of carpaine, a papaya alkaloid, on the circulatory function in the rat. Res Commun Chem Pathol Pharmacol. 1978 Nov;22(2):277-89. PMID: 734216.
5. Robert SD, Ismail AA, Winn T, Wolever TM. Glycemic index of common Malaysian fruits. Asia Pac J Clin Nutr. 2008;17(1):35-9. PMID: 18364324.
6. Okeniyi JA, Ogunlesi TA, Oyelami OA, Adeyemi LA. Effectiveness of dried Carica papaya seeds against human intestinal parasitosis: a pilot study. J Med Food. 2007 Mar;10(1):194-6. PMID: 17472487.