Mangos May Help Support Postmenopausal Heart, Metabolic Health
Postmenopausal women who ate mango daily for 2 weeks had lower blood pressure measures and lower total cholesterol.
Postmenopausal women who ate mangos every day for 2 weeks had a significant decrease in various blood pressure measures and fasting cholesterol, according to data published in the Journal of the American Nutrition Association.1 Study authors said the findings warrant further research with more typical servings over an extended period of time.
Mangos May Help Support Postmenopausal Heart, Metabolic Health / hanohiki - stock.adobe.com
Each year, over 1.3 million women in the United States transition into menopause. Weight gain and increased central adiposity are common and are associated with an increase in metabolic and cardiovascular disease risk.2 Because of this, targeted dietary strategies to improve vascular health are critical.
“Post-menopausal women face distinct metabolic changes that can impact their risk of developing cardiovascular disease (CVD),” Roberta Holt, associate researcher at UC Davis and a coauthor on the study, said in a release.2 “These findings help to identify targeted dietary strategies, like eating fresh mangos daily, to aid this at-risk population and support cardiovascular wellness and potential reductions in chronic disease risk.”
Investigators from UC Davis conducted a study to assess the impact of mango intake on microvascular function and cardiometabolic outcomes in postmenopausal women with overweight or obesity. The open-label, single-arm dietary intervention (NCT03203187) was conducted at the UC Davis Regal Human Nutrition Research Center.
The study cohort included 28 patients between the ages of 50 and 70 years with a BMI of 25 to 40 kg/m2 and weighing over 110 pounds. Exclusion criteria included having a BMI of 40 kg/m2 or greater, having a dislike or allergy for mango, using daily anticoagulation drugs, being vegan or vegetarian, consuming alcohol more than 3 times per week, and eating more than 2 cups of fruit a day.
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During enrollment, the patients were asked to refrain from eating mangos for at least 1 week. After baseline measures were taken during the first visit, patients consumed 330 grams of fresh-frozen mango pulp. Patients were then given 14 packs of fresh-frozen mango pulp and were instructed to eat one per day, with half being eaten during the day and the other half eaten in the evening. Microvascular function and blood pressure were measured at each of the 3 visits.
The study found that there were no significant changes in either reactive hyperemia index, the Framingham reactive hyperemia index, or the natural logarithm reactive hyperemia index. However, augmentation index was significantly lower compared to baseline 2 hours after the consumption of mango. After 2 weeks of eating mango, the postprandial and pre-PAT supine systolic blood pressure was significantly lower.
Blood glucose levels were lower by 5 mg/dL compared to baseline. Fasting total cholesterol and postprandial total cholesterol levels were also lower after 2 weeks. Additionally, having mango in the diet was associated with higher reported intakes of soluble fiber, total sugar, monosaccharides, disaccharides, β-carotene, vitamin C, folate, and potassium.
“Risk factors like high blood pressure and unhealthy cholesterol are key contributors to cardiovascular disease, but a nutrient-rich diet that includes fresh fruit, like mango, has long been shown to help reduce those risks,” Holt said in the release.3 “This study shows that even short-term changes—like eating fresh mangos daily—can make a measurable impact on chronic disease risk in certain populations.”
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