More reasons to love tangy, juicy mangos: according to a preliminary study published in the FASEB Journal, mangos may help improve cardiovascular and metabolic health in normal-weight and obese people. The study included 21 participants who were 18 to 55 years old and had either a normal body weight (body-mass index [BMI] of 18 to 25 kg/m²) or obesity (BMI greater than 30 kg/m²). They were given 400 grams of mango pulp (a little more than one medium-sized mango) daily for 42 days. Researchers measured the participants’ blood pressure, as well as several metabolic and inflammatory markers, at the beginning and end of the trial. When researchers compared the two sets of measurements, they found:

• Average systolic blood pressure dropped by 4.41 mmHg in normal-weight participants, but did not change in obese participants.
• Hemoglobin A1c, a marker of blood sugar regulation, improved in obese participants, but did not change in normal-weight participants.
• Plasminogen activator inhibitor-1, a marker associated with atherosclerosis and blood clot formation, was reduced in both groups.

The healthy changes seen in this study may be due to mangos’ reportedly high levels of polyphenols—compounds with strong anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects that could contribute to lower risks of a range of chronic diseases. However, controlled clinical trials are needed to understand whether mangos could play a role in disease prevention and treatment. In the meantime, mangos make a sweet snack packed with vitamins A and C. And if you find this fruit troublesome to eat, here’s a tip to make it a breeze: using a sharp knife, cut the fruit away from the pit. Then, score the fruit crosswise and peel away the skin for easy-to-eat cubes.

Source: FASEB Journal