Are you eating enough fruit? If not, you should consider it: Fruit can do everything from decrease depression to boost muscle mass.
If you needed yet another reason to be convinced, the Illinois Institute of Technology’s Center for Nutrition Research might be of interest for you: According to their most recent research, one especially beloved (and tasty) fruit is such a nutritional powerhouse it can improve insulin resistance in as little as four weeks.
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Published in Nutrients, the IIT study investigated whether eating certain fruit everyday could improve insulin sensitivity in people who were especially prone to developing type 2 diabetes, meaning participants needed to be obese or overweight, have chronic low-grade inflammation and have fasting blood sugar in the prediabetic range.
After recruiting 48 adults who fit the criteria (they were an average of 38 years old and had an average BMI of 30.5), researchers followed them for a total four weeks and split them into two groups. The first (or group A) ate two cups of the fruit daily while the second (group B) ate a calorie-matched control food (Italian ice) without any fruit.
Both were told to follow their usual diet but avoid similarly high-polyphenol foods to ensure any observed results were from the experiment itself.
Related: This Beverage Could Lower Your Type 2 Diabetes Risk By 19%
The Fruit That Can Improve Insulin Resistance in Just Four Weeks
After measuring participants’ blood sugar, insulin levels and inflammation markers before and after the four weeks, the researchers found that Group A’s fasting levels were significantly lower than the control B’s.
And drum roll, please … the fruit that group A was eating was mango!
More specifically, the mango group showed a 51.2% improvement in insulin sensitivity compared to the control group (measured by fasting insulin levels and HOMA-IR, a measure of insulin resistance) and major improvements compared to their own baselines from the start.
Translation? The mango group’s bodies became much better at processing and using insulin than when they began and compared with the control group, putting them at a significantly lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes over all.
Related: The No. 1 Food That Helps With Insulin Resistance, According to Dietitians Who Specialize in Diabetes
Why Does This Matter For Me?
Since the study’s participants were chosen specifically because of their high type 2 diabetes risk, the fact that something as simple improved their insulin resistance this much is pretty big deal. These findings suggest that there could be a safe, natural and of course, delicious, way to prevent type 2 diabetes—especially for people who are at risk.
This is also a helpful lesson for anyone whose instinct is to avoid fruit due to its high sugar content: People tend to worry fruit is “too sugary,” but this shows that mango actually helps metabolic health as opposed to hurting it.
Related: This Common Spice May Help Lower Your Blood Sugar, According to New Study
Health Benefits of Mangoes
As for why the researchers chose to study mango? Well, it may have had something to do with the fact that it was funded by the National Mango Board. That said, there are plenty of good reasons to consider mango for metabolic health.
Mangos are high in polyphenols.
Mangos are especially high in polyphenols, which have been found to reduce blood sugar levels and improve insulin function as is.
Related: 10 Ways to Make Mango Magic
Mangos are high in fiber.
Fiber helps to slow digestion and prevent blood sugar spikes, which is why dietitians often suggest boosting fiber intake. (Plus, it’s great for bowel movements.)
Mangos are high in vitamins and antioxidants.
Mangos are high in vitamins C, A, E, K and B vitamins, along with powerful antioxidants like mangiferin. These nutrients can help reduce oxidative stress, inflammation and blood sugar levels—all of which are linked to insulin resistance (and therefore, type 2 diabetes risk).
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Sources:
- “Mango Consumption Is Associated with Increased Insulin Sensitivity in Participants with Overweight/Obesity and Chronic Low-Grade Inflammation.” Nutrients.
- “Effects of Polyphenols on Insulin Resistance.” Nutrients.
- “The Effects of Soluble Dietary Fibers on Glycemic Response: An Overview and Futures Perspectives.” Foods.
- “Multifaceted Health Benefits of Mangifera indica L. (Mango): The Inestimable Value of Orchards Recently Planted in Sicilian Rural Areas.” Nutrients.
- “Mangiferin decreases inflammation and oxidative damage in rat brain after stress.” European Journal of Nutrition.
- “Mangiferin: a natural miracle bioactive compound against lifestyle related disorders.” Lipids in Health and Disease.