The Effectiveness of African Mango in Losing Weight

The African Mango plant, scientifically referred to as Irvingia gabonensis, is a native of West Africa. Other names associated with the plant and its products are wild mango, bush mango, and dika nut, among others. Half the plant’s edible part is made up of fat, 26.4 carbohydrates, 7.5 proteins, and 14 percent fiber. The rest is made of fillers. It is not the edible part, however, that has thrust the plant into the limelight. What has made the plant more popular now than at any other time is its seed extracts.

The reason why the seed extracts of African mango have become so popular to the extent of being used as a key ingredient in supplements is because the extracts are alleged to help in weight loss.

Although nothing conclusive has been said so far about the extracts’ ability to aid in weight loss, there are a few studies that have shed some light on the issue. Some of the results are worth smiling about.

In 2009, for instance, a study in Lipids in Health and Disease gave positive results confirming the claim that African mango aids in weight loss. During the study, a total of 102 obese or overweight individuals were sampled. At the end of the 10 weeks study, it was found that participants who took African mango every day, had, among other benefits, reduced weight, reduced waist line, and improved cholesterol levels.

Several websites have also noted that soluble fat of African mango seed has the capacity of melting belly fat and trimming waistlines. Often, the soluble oil is mixed with other elements, including green tea, and marketed as weight loss supplement.

Studies involving animals as participants have also shown that African mango may help fight obesity by hindering development of fat cells.

For now, users can only use African mango or any of its extracts on a trial basis. This must remain to be the case until conclusive reports on the capacity of the plant (or its products) to aid in weight loss are published.

 

References

1. http://altmedicine.about.com/od/weight_Loss/a/African-Mango-For-Weight-Loss.htm

2. http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/african-mango-supplements

3. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2029277/Could-African-mango-weight-loss-wonder-fruit-waiting-for.html

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