Mango Consumption Improves Antioxidant Enzyme Activities and Vascular Health, Scientists Say

With only 70 calories and over 20 different vitamins and minerals, a 3/4-cup serving of mango is nutrient-dense, making it a superfood.

Mangoes are one of the most popular fruits in the world, grown in more than 100 countries globally and consumed by an extremely diverse population. Image credit: Daniel Dan.

“Mangoes contribute a variety of nutrients, phytochemicals and bioactive compounds to the diet — including 50% of the daily value for vitamin C, 15% for folate, and 15% for copper,” said San Diego State University’s Professor Mee Young Hong, lead author of two studies (study #1 and study #2) presented at NUTRITION 2023, the flagship annual meeting of the American Society for Nutrition.

“Mangoes are also a predominant source of the bioactive compound mangiferin.”

“It’s likely the unique matrix of vitamins and bioactive compounds synergistically working together that resulted in our findings.”

Both studies followed the same 27 overweight or obese participants (16 males, 11 females) that were between the ages of 18-55 for 28 weeks.

The participants were separated into two groups and instructed to eat either a 100-calorie snack of mangoes (1 cup) or a 100-calorie snack of low-fat cookies for 12 weeks, as part of their normal lifestyle and eating patterns.

Following the first 12 weeks, participants took a 4-week washout break then switched groups and consumed the alternate snack for another 12 weeks.

During each 12-week period, participants provided fasting blood samples three times: at baseline, week 4 and week 12.

When the mango snack was eaten versus the low-fat cookie snack, following the12-week intervention, findings from the first study show significant health-positive changes to two markers of oxidative stress, reduced vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1) and increased superoxide dismutase (SOD).

Findings from the second study show a significant increase of glutathione peroxidase (GPX), a powerful antioxidant enzyme.

Other biomarker and biochemical analyses performed across the two studies, which tested additional vascular, inflammatory, and immune risk factors and mediators, did not yield significant results.

“SOD and VCAM-1 play opposite roles as risk factors for vascular issues,” Professor Young Hong said.

“While the SOD enzyme reduces risk by breaking down charged oxygen molecules called superoxide radicals, which are toxic, the VCAM-1 gene causes cells to stick together along the vascular lining, leading to increased risk for issues.”

“To achieve good vascular health, we want to see these two compounds move in opposite directions — SOD up and VCAM-1 down — which is what happened in the study.”

“Additionally, GPX acts by converting hydrogen peroxide to water in the body, thus reducing the harmful oxidative effects of hydrogen peroxide.”

“Vascular diseases include strokes, which are the third leading cause of death in the United States.”

“Helping Americans find food-first solutions for reducing risks, like including more fruits, such as mangoes, in the diet, is critical to reverse these trends and improve public health.”

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Robert J. Castro et al. The Effects of Mango Consumption on Vascular Health. NUTRITION 2023, P03-007-23

Kazandra Pedroza et al. The Effects of Fresh Mango Consumption on Immune Markers in Overweight and Obese Adults. NUTRITION 2023, P30-025-23