Mangoes can help combat Irritable Bowl Disease according to research released in a new publication on the tropical fruit.
Scientists at Texas A&M University found that people who included 200-400 grams of commercially available frozen mangos in their daily diet experienced “significantly” reduced symptoms of IBD.
Medical personnel evaluated more than 300 subjects for the study based on medical records or surveys. Twenty subjects participated in some aspect of the study, including the screening, with 14 completing the study.
Dr Susan Talcott, of Texas A&M AgriLife Research, said: 'Intestinal Lactobacilli and other beneficial probiotic bacteria were significantly increased after the consumption of mango as were certain short-chain fatty acids essential for a healthy intact intestinal tract.”
'Taken together, our results indicate mango intake exerted beneficial effects in the progression and severity of the IBD after eight weeks of nutritional intervention,' she said.
The study, initially published in July last year, was included in a new book on mango production released by science publishers Burleigh Dodds yesterday, titled “Achieving sustainable cultivation of mangoes”.
Francis Dodds, editorial director, said: “We’re hopeful that these chapters will help the research and we try to design the chapters so they are accessible to scientists and people in the industry.”
