The Health Benefits of Papaya
Helps Protect Against Arthritis and Other Inflammatory Diseases
Nov 6, 2008
High in vitamins C and E, beta-carotene and the minerals potassium, magnesium and calcium, papaya also contains the protease papain, an anti-cancer agent and carpaine, an anti-tumour compound.
Papain is classed as a proteolytic enzyme that helps break down, or digest, proteins. This is often extracted from papayas and used in digestive enzyme supplements. Pain relieving supplements for arthritis often contain this enzyme as it is thought to have anti-inflammatory properties.
One medium papaya contains around 780mg of potassium, 73mg of calcium, 30mg magnesium, 187mg of vitamin C, 115mcg folate, 5.5g of fibre and roughly 120 calories. It also contains 228mcg of carotenoids lutein and zeaxanthin which have been found to protect eye sight.
Effects on Cataracts
In January 2008, The Archives of Ophthalmology reported “prospective data from a large cohort of female health professionals indicate that higher intakes of lutein/zeaxanthin and vitamin E are associated with decreased risk of cataracts.”
Dietary information from 35,500 female health professionals who registered for the Women’s Health Study in 1993, was analysed by Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School. The women were followed for an average of 10 years, and the diets of those who developed cataracts were compared with the diets of those who did not.
According to an article published on Ophthalmology Web in January 2008, a total of 2,031 women developed cataracts during the study. When the participants were split into five groups based on the amount of lutein and zeaxanthin they consumed, those in the group who consumed the most (around 6,716mcg a day) had an 18 percent lower chance of developing cataracts than those who consumed the least (1,177mcg a day). The one-fifth who consumed the most vitamin E from food and supplements, about 262.4mg a day were 14 percent less likely than the one-fifth who got the least (4.4mg a day).
Papaya and Lung Cancer
Papaya is also a good source of beta-cryptoxanthin, a lesser-known relative of beta-carotene, linked to a reduced risk of lung and colon cancer. One medium papaya contains 2,313mcg. Studies have shown beta-cryptoxanthin can reduce lung cancer risk by more than 30 percent. Other studies have shown it can also reduce the risk of rheumatoid arthritis by 41 percent.
Researchers believe the anti-cancer effect is not only linked to the antioxidant properties of beta-cryptoxanthin, but also to a specific expression of a gene that protects cells from becoming cancerous.
In Oriental medicine papaya is considered a digestive aid as it tonifies the stomach. It is also believed to have anti-parasitic qualities and emollient properties; although it helps dry excess dampness in the body, it moistens the lungs.
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