Tag: Fruit

Mango: The New Diabetes & Cancer Buster

On By Paul1 Comment

Monday, May 20, 2013 by: Jonathan Benson, staff writer (NaturalNews)

image009

We generally consume mango as a fruit or dessert in our diet, not knowing much more than that. It’s time to consider & reconsider the traditional consumption of mango. New and previous studies indicate that eating mango can have a significant beneficial impact on your health, including the fight against type 2 diabetes and cancer.

Mangos (Mangifera indica) are naturally rich in fiber, the antioxidants vitamins A and C, and vitamin B6. The fruit also contains substances called triterpene and lupeol, which have been shown to inhibit skin and colon cancer in the laboratory.

Mangos contain a complex mixture of polyphenolic compounds.”

Polyphenols are a type of natural chemical found in plants. More than 4,000 different polyphenols have been identified, and their main benefit in the body is antioxidant activity against disease-causing, cell-damaging molecules called free radicals.

image014

The most popular fresh fruit in the world, mangoes are a whole lot more than just a delicious, refreshing treat produced by nature. As evidenced by copious scientific research, mangoes are also a powerful medicinal food, as they contain nutrients that can help clear up skin, promote eye health, stave off diabetes, and even prevent the formation and spread of cancer.

image002

Research recently presented at a meeting of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB), for instance, revealed that eating mangoes every day can help moderate and even lower blood sugar levels, despite their natural sugar content. This is good news for people with type 2 diabetes who may benefit from consuming mangoes regularly as part of a low-sugar diet.

image004

For their study, researchers tested the effects of mangoes on a group of obese animals, some of whom were given 10 grams of freeze-dried mango every day for 12 weeks. At the end of three months, the blood sugar levels of those animals that consumed mango were compared to those that did not consume mango. Based on the data, mango consumption was found to result in a significant decline in blood sugar levels.

image005

“Although the mechanism by which mango exerts its effects warrants further investigation, we do know that mangoes contain a complex mixture of polyphenolic compounds,” says Dr. Edralin Lucas, Ph.D., author of the study.

Similar research out of Australia found back in 2006 that eating mango can also help decrease inflammation and resulting high cholesterol, as well as block the formation of various health conditions included under the banner of metabolic syndrome. In essence, mangoes actually work better than cholesterol drugs at naturally balancing and optimizing cellular function throughout the body.

“We don’t know yet how the whole thing’s going to play out but we know some of the individual components (of mango) activate these receptors and even inhibit them,” said a doctor from University of Queensland about the effects of mango consumption on cellular processes. “That could end up with positive nutritional health benefits for diabetes and high cholesterol.”

And again in 2011, researchers from Oklahoma State University found that mango consumption helps lower insulin resistance and improve glucose tolerance in test mice. The same study also found that mangoes help normalize lipid levels throughout the blood, which in turn can help prevent the development of cardiovascular disease.

Eating mangoes can also help you avoid cancer

But the health benefits of mango do not stop here. Science has identified more than 4,000 different antioxidant polyphenols in the plant kingdom, and many of these polyphenols are present in mangoes. The primary benefit of these polyphenols is that they scavenge damaging free radicals and protect cells against damage, which is believed to facilitate and even promote cancer.  

“If you look at [mango] from the physiological and nutritional standpoint, taking everything together, it would be a high-ranking superfood,” says Dr. Susanne Talcott, who together with her husband discovered back in 2010 that mango compounds target both colon and breast cancer cells.

“What we found is that not all cell lines are sensitive to the same extent to an anticancer agent. But the breast and colon cancer lines underwent apoptosis, or programmed cell death. Additionally, we found that when we tested normal colon cells side by side with the colon cancer cells, that the mango polyphenolics did not harm the normal cells.”

In other words, mango compounds effectively target and eliminate harmful cancer cells while leaving healthy cells alone, a phenomenon that is unique to nature and nowhere to be found in pharmaceutical-based medicine. Chemotherapy and radiation, for instance, which are the two most popular conventional treatments for cancer, damage healthy cells along with malignant cells, which is why the treatments are a failure as far as long-term survival is concerned.

Sources for this article include:

http://www.emaxhealth.com/1275/why-you-need-more-

http://agnews.tamu.edu/showstory.php?id=1686mango

http://www.diabetes.co.uk/

image002 image003 image004 image005 image006 image007 image008 image009 image010 image011 image012 image013 image014 image015 image016 image018 image019 image020 image021 image022 image023 image024 image025 image026

 

 

 

Jujube Fruit (Chinese Date) – Health Benefits

On By Paul5 Comments

Widely cultivated in China and India, ziziphus zizyphus(syn. Ziziphus jujuba and Ziziphus vulgaris) is a species of small deciduous spreading tree in the buckthorn family Rhamnaceae. It is native to warm temperate and subtropical regions throughout the world, and is commonly known as Jujube, red date, or Chinese date. Ziziphus zizyphusis can tolerate a wide range of temperatures and rainfall. It requires hot summers and sufficient water for fruiting.

English: Ziziphus mauritiana fruit and foliage...
English: Ziziphus mauritiana fruit and foliage, Mount Archer National Park, Rockhampton (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Nutritional Value: 

Jujubes are high in nutritional value (The Herbs 2011) and a good source of: Vitamins, Minerals & Antioxidants.

Medical Benefits: Jujubes are widely used in Chinese Medicine as a mild sedative (Sisyphus 2011) and for relieving anxiety, insomnia, apprehension, nervous exhaustion, palpitations, nerve excess, night sweats and hot spells and irritability.

Varieties: 1. CHICO and LI are the best Fresh varieties 2. TA-JAN is an ideal drying fruit 3. SUIMEN is an all-rounder, suitable for drying and can be eaten fresh.

Originally from China, it is now grown throughout the world. The Chinese discovered the health benefits of Jujube fruit more than 2000 years ago and it has been used as a herbal remedy ever since. Modern research has enabled the Chinese and Koreans to use this fruit in many medicines and studies continue in the western world on the properties the Jujube fruit contains.

jujube_juice
jujube_juice (Photo credit: BlogMama)

In Vietnam, the fruit is taken fresh & used as a healthy fruit drink.

The jujube fruits can be eaten fresh or dried. They are available in either red or black, with the latter being smoked to enhance flavor. They are used in Chinese and Korean traditional medicine. Dried fruits are usually used in Chinese delicacies, tea, or sweetened tea syrup.

The most common health benefits of the Jujube fruit:

  • to soothe injured or inflamed skin.
  • also used as a demulcent in this way.
  • used for treating boils, scratches and sores and
  • can also treat internal inflammation and discomfort.
  • Used for many cough drops and sore throat lozenges.

 Similarly, several known digestive complaints can be treated effectively by Jujube fruit including loss of appetite and diarrhoea because it destroys bacteria in the intestines. In fact, the Chinese use it in the treatment of hepatitis and cirrhosis of the liver simply because Jujube fruit is known to strengthen the liver. It also serves another purpose by aiding the spleens daily function ensuring that the health benefits of Jujube fruit are used to their full potential.

As well as assisting with many bodily functions, Jujube fruit is known to help mental health conditions by having an overall calming effect, when ingested. Therefore irritable, nervous people can take advantage of the health benefits of Jujube fruit. Further benefits include increased stamina and strength, increased energy levels, improvement to the metabolism and a reduction in allergies.

The high content of botulinus acid found in Jujube fruit is being used in experiments aiding modern medical research in the quest to find cures for cancer, leukaemia and HIV. In addition, K562 leukaemia cells in the body have been proven to be reduced by extracts from Jujube fruit which again verifies the health benefits of Jujube fruit.

All in all, the Jujube fruit is an invaluable natural source, one that will probably continue to be in use for many years to come.