ating mangoes not only associated with an overall better diet, higher intake of whole fruit and certain nutrients, like dietary fiber and potassium, along with lower body weight and C-reactive protein, a measure of inflammation that may be associated with cardiovascular risk, according to a new study published in the Journal of Nutrition and Food Sciences.Researchers compared the diets of more than 29,000 children and adults participating in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) between 2001 and 2008 and used the Healthy Eating Index (HEI) to determine diet quality relative to federal dietary guidance. They found those who ate mangoes scored higher on the HEI than those that did not. Compared to non-mango consumers, mango eaters, on average, had higher intakes of whole fruit, vitamins C, potassium, and dietary fiber (in adults only) while having lower intakes of added-sugars, saturated fat (in adults only) and sodium (in adults only).
Additionally, lower levels of C-reactive protein were found in adult mango-consumers. C-reactive protein is a marker of inflammation and it has been suggested that high levels of it in the blood may be linked to increased risk for heart disease.
According to the National Mango Board (NMB), which helped fund the study, results will help add to the existing body of evidence suggesting mangoes are a nutritional powerhouse.
Research presented at the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB) annual meeting in 2013 suggests consuming polyphenol-rich mangoes can help reduce blood sugar levels and inflammation in obese individuals. Another study published in 2010 examined the effects of polyphenols found in fresh mangoes on cancerous and non-cancerous breast cells. This study suggests that mango polyphenols may limit inflammatory response in both cancerous and non-cancerous breast cells.
