While you are munching on a large dish of mango slices drizzled in lime juice in your sun-drenched back yard this summer, you might be doing a lot more than having a yummy treat - you could be protecting yourself from the risk of coronary disease.
That's the finding of a brand new experiment by a worldwide group of experts from educational institutions in Mexico, Israel and Spain.
It has been known for a while that ingesting plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables is amazingly healthful, and offers a fantastic supply of nutritional vitamins and antioxidants. Antioxidants are very important for cardiovascular health and protect against the chance of coronary disease. They do this by protecting against the sorts of oxidation that lead to the accumulation of bad cholesterol and the thickening of the walls of arteries, both of which are very important reasons for coronary disease.
Mangoes are a wonderful way to obtain Ascorbic Acid, Vitamin E and beta-carotene, and substantial levels of additional naturally occurring anti-oxidants.
But the thing that experts found can make mangoes extra special in the fight against heart disease is a group of chemicals called polyphenols. Another popular polyphenol is resveratrol, found in grape skin extract. The researchers who conducted the test think that polyphenols within mangoes can protect your heart from illness by lowering inflammation and helping the operation of the endothelium, a thin layer of cells that coats the inside of arteries and veins and makes it easier for the body to filter blood, regulate blood pressure levels and manage the movement of white blood cells to combat disease.
Specifically, investigators believe that a polyphenol called mangiferin, known only in mangoes, could be the secret weapon that makes mango so great for your cardiovascular system.
In the experiment, scientists told 30 healthy volunteers to eat a serving of mango each day and otherwise eat normally. After 30 days, the volunteers had triglycerides that were generally a third lower than the point at which the experiment started.
Triglycerides are a type of fat particle. They are produced by your body from the nutrition you consume. Triglycerides which are not utilized instantly by your body are stored in fat cells; when you hear of "body fat", it's really merely stored triglycerides. The amount of triglycerides in your bloodstream are an essential test for the danger of heart problems.
If mangoes can really lower your tryglyceride level, they might be the next superfood. But the experts behind the study explain that a lot more experiments are required to say for sure, and it's too soon to tell if mangoes will assist individuals who already possess high triglyceride levels.
But mangoes are healthful in a variety of alternative ways, and one cup of mangoes is only a hundred calories, so don't strike them off your shopping list just yet! Not only that, but the same research discovered mangoes are very high in natural antioxidants of a type which is easily made use of by your body.
Even though it is too soon to state for sure if eating mangoes can help safeguard against cardiovascular disease more than other vegetables and fruits, the evidence so far looks encouraging. But consuming more fruits and vegetables in general is undoubtedly advised for a fit cardiovascular system, so some mangoes today and start eating!
Did you know that there are hundreds of other benefits of mango? Eating mangoes can prevent cancer, help you lose weight and keep you fit and feeling great!