Mangos

Overview:

Mangos are a type of fruit rich in antioxidants that belong to the flowering plant family Anacardiaceae. They are  native to Southeast Asia, with their origin in India, and they serve as the national fruit of India, Pakistan, and the Philippines. Even though there are many different types of mangos found in shades of yellow, orange, red and green, they all contain the same long flat pit within their flesh.

Benefits:

Mangos are a lot healthier than you may believe. They are stock full of Vitamin A, in fact 100 grams of a mango already contains about 25% of your daily recommended value. Mangos are also a great source of beta-carotene, alpha-carotene and beta-cryptoxanthin, all three important flavonoids. Flavonoids are a type of metabolic found in plants that provide a lot of antioxidant activity. This mixture of nutrients found in mangos has been found to reduce the risk for macular degeneration (loss of eyesight) as well as improve quality of skin and hair.

Mango polyphenols (a natural substance inplants that has been known to promote good health) have also been found to protect the body against colon cancer, breast cancer, leukemia, and prostate cancer. When extracts were placed experimentally with these cancer cells, scientists found that the cancer cells (most prominently colon and breast cells) underwent apoptosis and also did not harm any surrounding normal cells.More research and clinical trials are being underdone, but the scientific benefit of mangos proves promising in preventing and stopping certain cancers.

Mangos are also very rich in Vitamin-B6,Vitamin-C, and Potassium. Vitamin-B6 controls homocysteine levels in the blood,which when not kept under control could be detrimental to blood vessels and lead to coronary heart disease or even stroke. Vitamin-C helps boost the body’s immune system by eliminating harmful agents from the body. Potassium is an important component of body fluids and helps control heart rate and blood pressure.

 

Side Effects:

Individuals on warfarin therapy should avoid including mangos in their diets because instead of decreasing the clotting tendency of the blood it ends up heightening the risk of bleeding. As for anything, eating too much mangos can be bad for you. Mangos contain a lot of sugar and so eating a lot of these fruits can lead to weight gain. Also, because mangos are so high in sugar, diabetics are advised to keep mangos outof their diets. Mangos also contain a high amount of fiber, so when over eaten mangos can cause diarrhea.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/01/100111154926.htm

http://www.nutrition-and-you.com/mango-fruit.html

http://effectfood.blogspot.com/2012/07/side-effects-of-mango.html

Research Done by: Ms. Jennifer Duffy

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