Does eating mango lower blood sugar?

If you are overweight, eating a small amount of fresh or dried mango every day helps to control your blood sugar levels.

This is actually the conclusion of a small pilot study published in the journal Nutrition and Metabolic Insights.

This pilot study aimed to investigate the effects of mango consumption on anthropometrics, biochemical parameters and body composition in overweight adults.

Participants in the 12-week study were 20 adults /11 men and 9 women/ in the age range of 20-50 years with a body mass index of 30 to 45.

The people included in the study were asked to maintain their usual diet, habits and doses of their prescribed medications, but they had to consume 10 grams of lyophilized mango (dried and frozen) every day.

Regular intake is controlled through 3 daily entries in specially created food diaries of each participant.

Examinations of those included in the study were conducted at the beginning, after the end of the 6th week and at the end of the 12th week after starting to take the mango “supplement”.

Height, weight, waist and hip circumference were measured at the beginning of the study and after 6 and then after 12 weeks.

Data on body composition, fasting blood analysis, triglycerides, HDL-cholesterol, glucose, hemoglobin a1c (glycated hemoglobin) and insulin concentration in blood plasma were also taken into account when conducting the study .

Lowered blood glucose levels

Scientists found that after 12 weeks, the study participants had lower blood sugar.

This effect was seen in both men and women, although the decline was slightly greater in men.

No significant changes were found in total body weight, waist and hip circumferences, waist-to-hip ratio, percentages of body fat and muscle mass.

In both men and women no significant changes were registered in the levels of triglycerides, HDL-cholesterol /”bad” cholesterol/ or in blood pressure.

The results of the blood sugar study correspond with previous animal research published in the British journal Nutrition.

Scientists who conducted the study believe that including mango consumption in the diet represents an opportunity for people who are overweight to maintain and lower blood sugar levels.

However, the authors of the study admit that they have not found the specific ingredient in the mango and its mechanism of action, thanks to which the lowering of blood sugar levels is achieved.

The nutritious fruit

The nutrient-rich mango fruit contains over 20 different vitamins and minerals, which contribute to the optimal performance of processes in the body.

Mangoes are an excellent source of the antioxidant vitamins C and A, as well as folic acid. The fruit also contains fiber, the mineral copper and vitamin B6.

But due to the relatively small number of study participants, further studies are needed to confirm that mangoes lower blood sugar levels.

However, the discovery about mango is promising because it contains many bioactive compounds, such as mangiferin, an antioxidant that is thought to be responsible for mango’s beneficial effects on blood sugar levels.

In addition, the fruit also contains fiber, which may help to slowly absorb glucose from the intestines into the bloodstream.