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Papaya
Deliciously sweet with musky undertones and a soft,
butter-like
consistency, it is no wonder the papaya was reputably called the “fruit
of the angels” by Christopher Columbus. Once considered quite exotic,
they can now be found in markets throughout the year. Although there is
a slight seasonal peak in early summer and fall, papaya trees produce
fruit year round.
Health Benefits
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Papayas offer not only the luscious taste and sunlit color of
the
tropics, but are rich sources of antioxidant nutrients such as
carotenes, vitamin C and flavonoids; the B vitamins, folate and
pantothenic acid; and the minerals, potassium and magnesium; and fiber.
Together, these nutrients promote the health of the cardiovascular
system and also provide protection against colon cancer. In addition,
papaya contains the digestive enzyme, papain, which is used
like bromelain, a similar enzyme found in pineapple, to treat sports
injuries, other causes of trauma, and allergies.
Protection Against Heart Disease
Papayas may be very helpful for the prevention of
atherosclerosis and diabetic heart disease. Papayas are an excellent
source of vitamin C as well as a good source of vitamin E and
beta-carotene, three very powerful antioxidants.
These nutrients help prevent the oxidation of cholesterol.
Only
when cholesterol becomes oxidized is it able to stick to and build up
in blood vessel walls, forming dangerous plaques that can eventually
cause heart attacks or strokes. One way in which dietary vitamin E and
vitamin C may exert this effect is through their suggested association
with a compound called paraoxonase, an enzyme that inhibits LDL
cholesterol and HDL cholesterol oxidation.
Papayas are also a good source of fiber, which has been shown
to lower high cholesterol levels. The folic acid
found in papayas is needed for the conversion of a substance called
homocysteine into benign amino acids such as cysteine or methionine. If
unconverted, homocysteine can directly damage blood vessel walls and,
if levels get too high, is considered a significant risk factor for a
heart attack or stroke.
Cancer Protection
The nutrients in papaya have also been shown to be helpful in
the prevention of colon cancer.
Papaya's fiber is able to bind to cancer-causing toxins in the colon
and keep them away from the healthy colon cells. In addition, papaya's
folate, vitamin C, beta-carotene, and vitamin E have each been
associated with a reduced risk of colon cancer.
These nutrients provide synergistic protection for colon cells
from free radical damage to their DNA. Increasing your intake of these
nutrients by enjoying papaya is an especially good idea for
individualsd at risk of colon cancer.
Anti-Inflammatory Effects
Papaya contains several unique protein-digesting enzymes
including papain and chymopapain.
These enzymes have been shown to help lower inflammation and to improve
healing from burns. In addition, the antioxidant nutrients found in
papaya, including vitamin C, vitamin E, and beta-carotene, are also
very good at reducing inflammation. This may explain why people with
diseases that are worsened by inflammation, such as asthma,
osteoarthritis, and rheumatoid arthritis, find that the severity of
their condition is reduced when they get more of these nutrients.
Immune Support
The fiber found in papayas may also help with the symptoms of those
suffering from irritable bowel syndrome. In addition, vitamin C and
vitamin A, which is made in the body from the beta-carotene in papaya,
are both needed for the proper function of a healthy immune system.
Papaya may therefore be a healthy fruit choice for preventing such
illnesses as recurrent ear infections, colds and flu.
Protection against Macular Degeneration
Your mother may have told you carrots would keep your eyes
bright as
a child, but as an adult, it looks like fruit is even more important
for keeping your sight. Data reported in a study published in the June
2004 issue of the Archives of Opthamology indicates that eating 3 or
more servings of fruit per day may lower your risk of age-related
macular degeneration (ARMD), the primary cause of vision loss in older
adults, by 36%, compared to persons who consume less than 1.5 servings
of fruit daily.
In this study, which involved 77,562 women and 40,866 men,
researchers evaluated the effect of study participants' consumption of
fruits; vegetables; the antioxidant vitamins A, C, and E; and
carotenoids on the development of early ARMD or neovascular ARM, a more
severe form of the illness associated with vision loss. Food intake
information was collected periodically for up to 18 years for women and
12 years for men.
While, surprisingly, intakes of vegetables, antioxidant vitamins and
carotenoids were not strongly related to incidence of either form of
ARM, fruit intake was definitely protective against the severe form of
this vision-destroying disease. Three servings of fruit may sound like
a lot to eat each day, but papaya can help you reach this goal. Add
slices of fresh papaya to your morning cereal, lunch time yogurt or
green salads. Cut a papaya in half and fill with cottage cheese, crab,
shrimp or tuna salad. For an elegant meal, place slices of fresh papaya
over any broiled fish.(July 10, 2004)
Protection against Rheumatoid
Arthritis
While one July 2004 study suggests that high doses of supplemental
vitamin C makes osteoarthritis, a type of degenerative arthritis that
occurs with aging, worse in guinea pigs, another indicates that vitamin
C-rich foods, such as papaya, provide humans with protection against
inflammatory polyarthritis, a form of rheumatoid arthritis involving
two or more joints.
The findings, presented in the Annals of the Rheumatic
Diseases
were drawn from a study of more than 20,000 subjects who kept diet
diaries and were arthritis-free when the study began, and focused on 73
subjects who developed inflammatory polyarthritis and 146 similar
subjects who remained arthritis-free during follow-up between 1993 and
2001.
Subjects who consumed the lowest amounts of vitamin C-rich foods were
more than three times more likely to develop arthritis than those who
consumed the highest amounts.(August 1, 2004)
Protection against Emphysema
If you or someone you love is a smoker, or if you are
frequently exposed to secondhand smoke, then making vitamin A-rich
foods, such as papaya, part of your healthy way of eating may save your
life, suggests research conducted at Kansas State University.
While studying the relationship between vitamin A, lung
inflammation, and emphysema, Richard Baybutt, associate professor of
nutrition at Kansas State, made a surprising discovery: a common
carcinogen in cigarette smoke, benzo(a)pyrene, induces vitamin A
deficiency.
Baybutt's earlier research had shown that rats fed a vitamin
A-deficient diet developed emphysema. His latest animal studies
indicate that not only does the benzo(a)pyrene in cigarette smoke cause
vitamin A deficiency, but that a diet rich in vitamin A can help
counter this effect, thus greatly reducing emphysema.
In his initial research, Baybutt took just weaned male rats
and
divided them into two groups, one of which was exposed to cigarette
smoke, and the other to air. In the rats exposed to cigarette smoke,
levels of vitamin A dropped significantly in direct correlation with
their development of emphysema. In the second study, both groups of
rats were exposed to cigarette smoke, but one group was given a diet
rich in vitamin A. Among those rats receiving the vitamin A-rich foods,
emphysema was effectively reduced.
Baybutt believes vitamin A's protective effects may help
explain why some smokers do not develop emphysema. "There are a lot of
people who live to be 90 years old and are smokers," he said. "Why?
Probably because of their diet…The implications are that those who
start smoking at an early age are more likely to become vitamin A
deficient and develop complications associated with cancer and
emphysema. And if they have a poor diet, forget it."
If you or someone you love smokes, or if your work necessitates
exposure to second hand smoke, protect yourself by making sure that at
least one of the World's Healthiest Foods that are rich in vitamin A,
such as papaya, is a daily part of your healthy way of eating.
(October, 21, 2004)
Dietary supplements cannot be used to prevent or treat any
disease. These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA.
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Dietary supplements are not to be used to
prevent
or treat any disease.
The Statements on this web page have not been evaluated by the FDA. Any
information provided on this website is not a substitute for the advice
of a licensed medical practitioner. Individuals are advised not to
self-medicate in the presence of significant illness. Ingredients in
supplements are not drugs and may not be foods. |
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