When I was in Baylor College of Medicine ,Houston between 1998 and 2000, my research was on the role of important enzymes known as detoxifying enzymes in the mopping up of harmful free radicals produced in our body due to exposure to harmful substances and metabolism.
Free radicals are oxygen atoms that have lost an electron and have become unstable and this damages the cells . When a cell is damaged, it can become cancerous. Antioxidants help conteract these free radicals through the action of detoxifying enzymes. Antioxidants are present in green vegetables and rich colored fruits such as peaches, blueberries, carrots, mangoes etc. Since this is the mango season and the markets are abuzz with these delicious fruits here in Chennai , I thought I would talk about the antioxidants present in mangoes.
Puréed mangoes were divided into two portions. One part contained known antioxidants such as the yellow carotenoids that include beta carotene. The other portion contained components that easily dissolved in water, similar to water-soluble vitamins such as vitamin C.
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"Both of the portions inhibit cancer formation. However, it seems that the water-soluble fraction is a more potent or more efficient inhibitor. The researchers said the water-soluble portion of the mango puree contains phenolic compounds -- the class of compounds to which most known antioxidants belong.But more research would need to be done to identify the specific compounds that provide the increased cancer protect.
"The goal is to isolate and characterize these compounds and maybe even look for them in other fruits and vegetables besides the mango," said Stephen Talcott, a UF assistant professor of food science and human nutrition who also worked on the study. "Then a breeding program might be able to incorporate these compounds into other fruits or vegetables, or increase the levels of these new antioxidants if they are already found to be present."
2 comments:
Interesting, I love mangoes but the imports we get here in Canada aren't always that great. I was very fortunate to be travelling in Afric during mangoe season & got my first taste of how a mangoe should really taste, fresh off a tree & fully ripened (as the ones that are here are usually rock hard) It was divine. I could have eaten mangoes all day. I'm glad to know the health benefits of them as well. Now when I buy them here, I let them sit on the counter for a few days till they soften up. YUM - craving them right now!
Me too I never realized until recently that mangoes were this nutritious...I used to think bananas, apples, oranges were the ones loaded with the health benefits...I thought mangoes were more taste than anything else..
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