Health Benefits of Papaya And Its Seeds

Papaya is a delicious fruit that has many health benefits because it is full of antioxidants, vitamins and minerals. Eating papaya fruit can help to strengthen your immune system and improve your digestive health. It can also help improve your eyesight, lower cholesterol levels, and give a boost to your skin’s health. Papaya fruit is also a good source of vitamins such a vitamin C, E, and A.

The high content of vitamin A in papaya fruit can help to offset vitamin A deficiencies.
Vitamin A and vitamin C are both powerful antioxidants, so the ‘fruit of the angels’, as Christopher Columbus called it, destroys free radicals in the body – the villains behind many chronic diseases, including cancer and cardiovascular disease.

Papaya fruit and extracts also contain important compounds that have medicinal benefits. For example, papaya contains a compound called papain which has been linked to digestive health and it also has anticancer properties.
Papaya seeds have anti parasitic properties and they have been shown to inhibit cancer.

Boost Digestion
Eating more papaya fruit and seeds can have a beneficial effect on your digestive system.
Like all fruits and vegetables, papaya contains fiber that is essential for healthy digestion and to prevent constipation. It also contains an enzyme called papain that helps digestion. The high vitamin and nutrient content of papaya also keeps your body healthy. However, it seems that papaya also contains compounds that specifically improve digestive health.

Rich in Antioxidants

One of the most important health benefits of papaya is that it is full of antioxidants. In fact, both the pulp from papaya fruit and the seeds have powerful antioxidants.
Carotenoids are antioxidants linked to good health, preventing disease, improving eye health, and cancer prevention. Researchers recommend a diet containing plenty of fruits and vegetables containing carotenoids.
Papaya also contains an important antioxidant called lycopene. Consuming papaya fruit helps to prevent oxidative stress and, therefore, protect against many chronic diseases.
Researchers have found that extracts of papaya seeds are also an important source of antioxidants and vitamin C.  

Strengthens Your Immune System

One trial found that eating papaya fruit increased immune cell function in the body. Researchers noted that after consuming papaya, there was a marked increase in white blood cells which play an important role in the immune system.

A study on rats found that papaya extracts boosted their immune system. For example, researchers found that levels of glutathione increased. Glutathione is an important antioxidant that helps to strengthen the immune system. 

Anti-Inflammatory Properties

In general, eating more fruits and vegetables help to lower the body’s inflammatory responses. But, it seems that papaya is especially effective in alleviating inflammatory conditions.
Research has shown that papaya stimulates certain cells in the body that have an anti-inflammatory effect.  Also, other studies have shown that carotenoid-rich fruits like papaya release proteins that help to lower inflammatory responses in the body. 

Help Prevent Cardiovascular Disease

An important benefit of consuming more fresh papaya fruit is that it helps to keep your cardiovascular system healthy. A study found that antioxidants in papaya like lycopene help to prevent cardiovascular disease.
Other studies on rats have shown that extracts from papaya fruit increase beneficial enzymes in the blood that help to lower blood pressure and reduce oxidative stress. These results had an overall protective effect on the cardiovascular system.
One study found that drinking papaya juice could help to significantly lower blood pressure.

Benefits Your Skin

The high levels of antioxidants and vitamins in papaya fruit mean that papaya is an excellent skin care product. For example, papaya contains vitamins A, C, and E – all of which are used in many skincare products.
Dermatologists report that papaya contains lycopene and beta-carotene (β-carotene). Consuming fruits and vegetables containing these antioxidants help to boost the production of collagen in the skin. 

Help Wounds Heal Quicker

Papaya also contains the enzymes chymopapain and papain that could help your skin heal faster. In fact, papaya is currently used as a major component in burns dressings.
Papaya contains many antioxidants that promote wound healing. However, one study showed that papaya fruit and seeds also have antibacterial properties. A paste of mashed papaya fruit and ground seeds helped to prevent bacterial infections when applied to open wounds.
The researchers suggested that applying skin preparations containing papaya could help to treat chronic skin ulcers.

Strengthens Bones

Including more papaya as part of a healthy, well-balanced diet can help strengthen bones and may prevent osteoporosis.
Among the fruits scientists found to be the best for boosting bone health were papayas, citrus fruits, apples, bananas, and mangoes.  

Protects Your Eyesight

Papaya fruit can help protect your eyesight because it contains lutein, beta-carotene, and vitamin A. All of these antioxidants have been connected with protecting eyesight, especially in advanced age.
In a review of necessary nutrients to protect eyesight in advanced age, researchers found that papaya is a rich source of eyesight-protecting antioxidants. The researchers found that a diet rich in vegetables and fruits like papaya can protect against macular degeneration (an eye disease that causes vision loss).
 Papaya benefits your eyesight because it contains nutrients that are important for your vision such as vitamin C, omega-3 fatty acids, beta-carotene, zinc, and zeaxanthin. 

Help Reduce Symptoms Related to Diabetes

You can also use extracts from the papaya plant to help reduce the symptoms of diabetes.
Research on rats found that papaya leaf extract preparations were able to significantly lower blood glucose levels. The study revealed that the leaf extracts of papaya also lowered cholesterol and increased levels of antioxidants in diabetic subjects.
Interestingly, researchers also noted that the papaya leaf extracts improved liver and pancreas function in all subjects.

Leaf Extracts Can Increase Red Blood Cell Count (RBC)

Extracts from papaya leaves also have a positive effect on blood and can increase the number of red blood cells.
Scientists discovered that, in a 3-week period, papaya helped to increase platelet and red blood cell count. They summarized that papaya leaf extract could be used to treat conditions that result in fewer than normal red blood cells.
Extracts of the papaya plant have an anticancer effect and may prove useful in helping to treat certain types of cancer.
For example, in 2017 scientists found that papaya leaf extracts can help to inhibit the spread of breast cancer. In some cases, the papaya extracts even killed off cancerous cells.
Most doctors agree that a diet containing fruits and vegetables with high levels of antioxidants can help to protect against various cancers.

Benefits of Papaya Seeds

When you cut a papaya, the insides look very inviting, and the seeds can easily be scooped out.
Papaya seeds are high in fat and protein, and contain plenty of calcium, magnesium and phosphorus.
The seeds have a distinct, slightly peppery flavor. They can be eaten as they are, or you can sprinkle them over salads and other dishes, just as you would use pumpkin seeds. Those who are not afraid of the spicy flavor, can try them in a smoothie.
Papaya seeds also have many health benefits.

Seed Extracts Can Kill Off Intestinal Parasites

One of the many medicinal uses of papaya seeds is to eliminate intestinal parasites (anthelmintic and anti-amoebic properties).
One study on the use of dried papaya seed extracts found that they were effective in treating human parasites. Children who had intestinal parasitic infections took 20 ml of papaya seed extract per day. After 7 days results showed that around 71% of the children no longer showed signs of parasites.

Can Help to Treat Gastric Ulcers

Papaya seeds can also help treat gastric ulcers because they have a protective effect on the stomach lining.
A 2015 study on rats found that papaya seed extracts were effective in treating gastric ulcers. The results of the study showed that the seed extract of papaya reduced ulcers by up to 84%. Papaya seed extract also stimulated mucus production in the stomach which also reduced levels of stomach acid.

Seeds Help Fight Bacterial Infections

Extracts from papaya seeds also have antibacterial activity and can help fight certain bacterial infections.
One study published in 2014 found that extracts of papaya seeds and papaya leaves can kill off certain bacterial pathogens. For example, papaya extracts were effective against strains of bacteria like Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, E. coli, and Salmonella typhi.

Can Help Protect Kidney Function

The antioxidant effect of papaya fruit and papaya seeds can help to protect your kidneys against kidney damage.
One trial on rats showed that papaya seed extracts helped to protect kidney function. After 8 days in the trial, blood test results showed that papaya seed extract prevented damage to kidneys.

Seeds Have Antifungal Activity

Extracts from papaya seeds can help to kill off fungal infections in the body.
Researchers found that components isolated from papaya seeds are effective enough to destroy strains of Candida albicans and other types of fungus.
Candida infections can occur in the body when there is an imbalance of healthy bacteria in your gut. This can cause various symptoms including vaginal thrush, oral thrush, and itching around the genitals.

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