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The Health Benefits of Mangoes

mangoes
The original wild mango, which is still grown in India and Southeast Asia today, is a far cry from the juicy and delicious cultivated mangoes we now eat.

The tropical mango is the national fruit of India, where it was first cultivated as early as 2000 BCE. In India mangoes are considered to be a symbol of life, and mango leaves are used for decoration in festival celebrations and weddings. Indian mango chutney is perhaps the original chutney, and has become popular worldwide.
In Latin American countries green mango is eaten with salt and sometimes chili.

Portuguese explorers introduced the mango into Africa and Brazil in the 16th century, and mangoes were being grown in Hawaii and Florida by the 19th century. Today India is the world’s largest producer of mangoes, with China, Thailand, Mexico and Brazil other main producers.

Health Benefits of Mangoes

  • Digestion
    Mangoes contain digestive enzymes that help break down proteins and aid digestion.
  • Giardia
    Giardia is a water-borne parasite that can infect humans and animals and cause severe diarrhea and other symptoms. A preliminary study conducted in Mexico to determine the effectiveness of 14 different plant extracts against giardia, found mango extract to demonstrate antigiardiasic properties.   
  • Kidney Stones
    Preliminary studies have found lupeol from mangoes and other fruit to be effective in reducing the risk of kidney stone formation.
  • Cancer
    In a preliminary study conducted at the Food Science and Human Nutrition Department, University of Florida, mango juice and methanol extracts were tested for antioxidant and anticancer activity. The results demonstrated that mango juice and methanol extracts of mango juice inhibits the growth cycle of cancer cells.
    Lupeol, a triterpene present in mango and other fruits and vegeatbles, has shown to possess anticancer properties. A preliminary study has demonstrated the effectiveness of lupeol and mango pulp extraction in arresting prostrate cancer cell growth. Another study has shown lupeol to be effective in killing pancreatic cancer cells, a particularly aggressive form of cancer. Lupeol was not only found to suppress tumor growth, but also to impair head and neck (includes the nose, oral cavity, salivary gland, etc.) cancer cell invasion.

    In a recent study, researchers tested mango polyphenol extracts in vitro on colon, breast, lung, leukemia and prostate cancers, and found and found they prevented or stopped cancer growth in certain breast and colon cell lines

  • Anti-Inflammatory
    The Institute of Food Science and Biotechnology in Germany has found that compounds extracted from mango peels have potent anti-inflammatory capabilities.
  • Glycemic Index (GI)
    In a study to determine the GI of various foods, it was concluded that mangoes have a low - intermediate GI of 50 - 60.
  • Nutrients
    Mangoes are an excellent source of carotenes, vitamin C, and copper. They are a very good source of B vitamins. Mangoes are a good source of vitamin E, potassium, and magnesium.

    A comprehensive breakdown of nutrients can be found in our Nutrient Database.
Mango peel may be irritating to the skin since it contains urushiol, a substance that can cause an allergic skin reaction. 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. Percival SS, Talcott ST, Chin ST, Mallak AC, Lounds-Singleton A, Pettit-Moore J. Neoplastic transformation of BALB/3T3 cells and cell cycle of HL-60 cells are inhibited by mango (Mangifera indica L.) juice and mango juice extracts. J Nutr. 2006 May;136(5):1300-4. PMID: 16614420.
5. Prasad S, Kalra N, Shukla Y. Induction of apoptosis by lupeol and mango extract in mouse prostate and LNCaP cells. Nutr Cancer. 2008 Jan-Feb;60(1):120-30. PMID: 18444143.
6. Saleem M, Kaur S, Kweon MH, Adhami VM, Afaq F, Mukhtar H. Lupeol, a fruit and vegetable based triterpene, induces apoptotic death of human pancreatic adenocarcinoma cells via inhibition of Ras signaling pathway. Carcinogenesis. 2005 Nov;26(11):1956-64. Epub 2005 Jun 15. PMID: 15958516.
7. Lee TK, Poon RT, Wo JY, Ma S, Guan XY, Myers JN, Altevogt P, Yuen AP. Lupeol suppresses cisplatin-induced nuclear factor-kappaB activation in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma and inhibits local invasion and nodal metastasis in an orthotopic nude mouse model. Cancer Res. 2007 Sep 15;67(18):8800-9. PMID: 17875721.
8. Knödler M, Conrad J, Wenzig EM, Bauer R, Lacorn M, Beifuss U, Carle R, Schieber A. Anti-inflammatory 5-(11'Z-heptadecenyl)- and 5-(8'Z,11'Z-heptadecadienyl)-resorcinols from mango (Mangifera indica L.) peels. Phytochemistry. 2008 Feb;69(4):988-93. Epub 2007 Dec 21. PMID: 18155258.
9. Malini MM, Lenin M, Varalakshmi P. Protective effect of triterpenes on calcium oxalate crystal-induced peroxidative changes in experimental urolithiasis. Pharmacol Res. 2000 Apr;41(4):413-8. PMID: 10704264.

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