MADRID, 5 Ago. (EUROPA PRESS) –
Mango is one of the world’s most popular fruits, grown in more than 100 countries globally and consumed by an extremely diverse population.
Now, two new studies presented at the American Society for Nutrition Annual Conference have shown that mangoes may play a role in reducing the risk of vascular problems, while helping to improve antioxidant levels among relatively adult men and women. healthy overweight or obese.
“Mangoes contribute a variety of nutrients, phytochemicals, and bioactive compounds to the diet, including 50 percent of the daily value (DV) for vitamin C, 15 percent of the DV for folate, and 15 percent of the DV for copper, and mangoes are also a predominant source of the bioactive compound mangiferin,” said Mee Young Hong, principal investigator of both studies and a professor in the School of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences at San Francisco State University College of Health and Human Services. Diego (United States).
Both crossover interventions followed the same 27 overweight or obese participants (16 men, 11 women; BMI 31.8/-4.1 kg/m2) who were 18 to 55 years of age for 28 weeks.
Participants were divided into two groups and instructed to eat either a 100-calorie mango snack (1 cup) or a 100-calorie low-fat cracker snack for 12 weeks as part of their eating style. life and normal eating patterns.
After the first 12 weeks, the participants took a 4-week break, then switched groups and ate the alternative snack for another 12 weeks. During each 12-week period, participants provided fasting blood samples three times: at baseline, at week 4, and at week 12.
When the mango snack was consumed versus the low-fat cookie snack, after the 12-week intervention, the results of the first study showed significant positive changes for health in two markers of oxidative stress, the reduction of adhesion molecule-1 vascular cell (VCAM-1) and increased superoxide dismutase (SOD).
The results of the second study show a significant increase in glutathione peroxidase (GPX), a powerful antioxidant enzyme. Other biochemical and biomarker analyzes performed in the two studies, which analyzed other risk factors and vascular, inflammatory, and immune mediators, did not yield significant results.
“SOD and VCAM-1 play opposite roles as vascular risk factors. While the SOD enzyme reduces risk by breaking down charged oxygen molecules called superoxide radicals,3 which are toxic, the VCAM-1 gene makes the cells stick to each other along the vascular lining, increasing the risk of problems.To achieve good vascular health, we want to see these two compounds move in opposite directions: SOD increases and VCAM-1 decreases, which “This is what happened in the study. In addition, GPX works by converting hydrogen peroxide to water in the body, thereby reducing the harmful oxidative effects of hydrogen peroxide,” Young Hong said.
With only 70 calories and over 20 different vitamins and minerals, a 3/4 cup serving of mangos is nutrient-dense, making it a superfood. Since mangos are widely consumed in cultures around the world, research on their health benefits contributes to a better understanding of their place in a healthy diet.
