The US National Mango Board (NMB) has funded a study at Texas A & M University to ascertain the impact of mangoes on seven types of cancer cells in-vitro, marking the association’s first step in its new nutrition research programme.
The in-vitro cell study, conducted by the university’s Dr Susanne Talcott and Dr Steve Talcott, found that the polyphenolic compounds found in mangoes negatively impacted certain colon cancer and breast cancer cells, according to a NMB press release.
“Not all cell lines are sensitive to the same extent to an anticancer agent, but the breast and colon cancer lines underwent apoptosis, or programmed cell death,” explained Dr Susanne Talcott.
NMB said the study also revealed that mango polyphenols consist of both small molecules, that are readily absorbed during digestion, and larger molecules, which would not be absorbed and would remain present in the colon where they would have more exposure to colon cancer cells.
This discovery may be significant and can help shape the direction of future studies on mangoes and colon cancer, according to NMB.
Details of the preliminary study were released on the University’s AgriLife News system and NMB claimed the story was quickly picked up by more than a dozen news sources, including the CBS News website, creating considerable “buzz” for the mango industry.
According to NMB, this cancer cell study is just the first step in building a body of research that may bolster the board’s marketing efforts with a stronger nutrition message for consumers.
“Everything we do is focused on increasing mango consumption and having a great nutrition story can help us reach that goal,” said Wendy McManus, director of marketing at the NMB. “You can look at the success of the blueberry industry in promoting their antioxidant content to understand how effective health messaging can be.”
Next on the NMB’s nutrition research agenda is a human study that will involve daily mango intake by people who are at high risk for colon cancer.
“With the human study, we hope to learn more and build a body of evidence that will demonstrate the health benefits of mangoes and support our marketing programme,” said Leo Ortega, research director at NMB.
The human study will also be conducted by Dr. Susanne Talcott and Dr. Steve Talcott of Texas A&M University.
In addition to this cancer research, the NMB is also conducting research in two other nutrition-related areas. The first seeks to understand mangoes’ ability to modulate glucose and lipids while the second is looking at mangoes’ impact on bone density.
NMB says it is cautiously optimistic about the potential for beefing up the nutrition messages for mangoes, and that the media response to this first article from Texas A&M University is encouraging.
“Building a strong nutrition story is like growing a mango tree,” said NMB executive director William Watson. “You plant a seedling and you nurture that tree for years before you get a bountiful crop. It takes time and patience, but the rewards are sweet.”
The full report written by the research team is available here.
