A series of health benefits of pineapple when consumed regularly
KONTAN.CO.ID – JAKARTA. Pineapple has a sweet taste and is rich in minerals. Besides being able to refresh the body, these are the benefits of pineapple for health when consumed regularly.
Pineapple fruit is a fruit that knows no season. This refreshing sweet and sour fruit can be found all the time.
Also Read: 2 Benefits of pineapple juice for your body health
Not only can it be eaten directly, pineapple fruit is also often processed into various types and forms of other foods, such as jam, syrup, and sweets.
Behind the delicious fruit that comes from this shrub, pineapple has a variety of nutrients that are beneficial for health.
In terms of nutritional content, pineapple has a source of regulatory substances, namely vitamins and minerals that are needed by the body.
Pineapple nutritional content
Launching Live Science, here are the nutrition facts contained in unripe pineapples (165 grams of material), according to the US Department of Agriculture (USDA).
- Calories 74
- Total Fat 0 g
- Cholesterol 0 mg
- Sodium 2 mg
- Potassium 206 mg
- Total Carbohydrates 19.5 g
- Sugar 13.7 g
- 1g protein
- Vitamin C 28 mg
- Calcium 21 mg
The nutritional content of canned pineapples is relatively different from raw pineapples. According to the USDA, canned pineapples are typically higher in calories and higher in sugar.
Canned pineapple also contains less vitamins and minerals. If you choose canned pineapples, try to find ones without added sugar.
Benefits of pineapple for health
Because of its nutritional content, here are the various health benefits of pineapple:
1. Antidote to disease
Launching the Health Line, pineapple is not only rich in nutrients, but also rich in antioxidants. Antioxidants are molecules that help your body fight oxidative stress.
Oxidative stress is a state in which there are too many free radicals in the body.
These free radicals interact with body cells and cause the damage associated with chronic inflammation, a weakened immune system and many dangerous diseases.
Pineapple fruit is very rich in antioxidants known as flavonoids and phenolic acids.
What’s more, many of the antioxidants in pineapples are bound. This allows the antioxidants to survive the harsher conditions in the body and produce a more lasting effect.
2. Helps the digestive process
Pineapple contains a group of digestive enzymes known as bromelain. This enzyme functions as a protease, which breaks down protein molecules into amino acids and small peptides.
After the protein molecules are broken down, these substances are more easily absorbed in the small intestine.
Pineapple benefits can be of great help for people with pancreatic deficiency, a condition in which the pancreas cannot make enough digestive enzymes.
The bromelain in pineapple can also be used as a meat tenderizer because of its ability to break down tough meat proteins.
3. Reducing the risk of cancer
Cancer is a chronic disease characterized by uncontrolled cell growth. Cancer development is generally associated with oxidative stress and chronic inflammation.
Several studies have shown that pineapple and its compounds can reduce the risk of cancer. This is because pineapple can minimize oxidative stress and reduce inflammation.
One of the compounds that are useful for preventing cancer is a group of digestive enzymes called bromelain. Bromelain is reported to suppress the growth of breast cancer cells and stimulate cell death.
4. Increase immunity
Pineapple fruit has been a part of traditional medicine for centuries.
Pineapple contains a variety of vitamins, minerals and enzymes such as bromelain which collectively increase immunity and suppress inflammation.
A nine-week study of 98 children divided into three groups, namely not given pineapple, given pineapple in moderation (140 g), and a lot (280 g) revealed that there were differences in their immune status after.
After research, children who ate pineapples had a much lower risk of viral and bacterial infections.
Meanwhile, the children who ate the most pineapple had nearly four times as many disease-fighting white blood cells (granulocytes) as the other two groups.
Another study found that children with sinus infections recovered significantly faster after taking bromelain supplements, compared to standard treatment or a combination of both.
What’s more, studies have shown that bromelain can reduce markers of inflammation. It is believed that these anti-inflammatory properties can help boost the immune system.
6. Relieve rheumatoid arthritis
Since pineapple contains bromelain, which has anti-inflammatory properties, it is thought to also provide pain relief for those suffering from arthritis or arthritis.
In fact, research since the 1960s has shown that bromelain is used to relieve symptoms of rheumatism or rheumatoid arthritis.
Several recent studies have looked at the effectiveness of bromelain for treating arthritis.
One study in patients with osteoarthritis found that taking a digestive enzyme supplement containing bromelain helped relieve pain as effectively as common arthritis medications such as diclofenac.
Next, a review analyzed bromelain’s ability to treat osteoarthritis. It was concluded that bromelain has the potential to relieve symptoms of arthritis, especially in the short term.
However, it’s unclear whether bromelain can be a long-term treatment for arthritis symptoms.
More studies are needed before recommending bromelain for arthritis symptom relief.
7. Accelerate wound healing after surgery
Eating pineapple can reduce the time it takes to recover from surgery or strenuous exercise. This benefit is largely due to the anti-inflammatory properties of bromelain in pineapples.
Several studies have shown that bromelain can reduce the inflammation, swelling, bruising and pain that often occurs after surgery.
Bromelain also appears to reduce markers of inflammation. For example, a study showed that those who took bromelain before dental surgery had significantly less pain and felt healthier than people who didn’t.
Strenuous exercise can also damage muscle tissue and cause inflammation around it.
Proteases such as bromelain are believed to speed recovery of damage caused by strenuous exercise by reducing inflammation around damaged muscle tissue.
A study tested this theory by giving participants a digestive enzyme supplement containing bromelain after 45 minutes of strenuous exercise on a treadmill.
Those who took the supplement had less inflammation and maintained more strength afterward.
Several other studies have shown that bromelain can speed up recovery from damage caused by exercise. (Irawan Sapto Adhi)
Also Read: This is a recipe for 5 infused water which is effective in reducing high blood pressure
This article has been published on Kompas.com with the title “7 Benefits of Pineapple for Health”