6 Health Benefits Of Eating Papaya Regularly

Papaya or pawpaw is a delicious tropical fruit of the “Papaya” tree. Italian explorer Christopher Columbus called it “fruit of the angels” because of its soft and buttery consistency. It provides many health and beauty benefits as it has essential nutrients like vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, phytonutrients, polyphenols, and dietary fibers, etc.

# Good For Digestive System

Papaya is good for our digestive system as the “papain” enzyme in it breaks down proteins, inhibits protein to fat conversion, kills intestinal worms, and cleanses the digestive tract.

Antioxidants like vitamin C, vitamin A and antioxidantal compounds like phytonutrients, polyphenols, and flavonoids, etc in papaya protect our digestive system from free radical damage and minimizes the risk of colon cancer, abdominal cancer, pancreatic cancer, intestinal cancer, and stomach cancer, etc.

Dietary fibers in papaya are natural laxatives that improve bowel movement, aid in stool elimination, and relieve constipation and other gastrointestinal problems like abdominal pain, irritable bowel syndrome, gas, bloating and flatulence, etc.

Other nutrients like zinc, iron, magnesium, and folate, etc also improves our digestive health.

# Promotes Weight Loss

Papaya promotes weight loss as it has a low calorific value of 43 calories per 100 grams.Dietary fibers in papaya provide stomach satiety, controls our urge to eat again and again, and thus controls overeating which is a prime cause of obesity.

Papaya contains about 91 percent water that helps with weight management as it reduces calorie overload, controls overeating, improves digestion, and increases absorption of nutrients.

# Provides Anti-Inflammatory Benefits

Anti-inflammatory compounds like Vitamin C (antioxidant), dietary fibers, choline, and enzymes such as papain and chymopapain in papaya relieve pain and inflammation of inflammatory conditions like arthritis, rheumatism, rheumatoid, gouts, asthma and bronchial asthma, etc.

Choline in papaya reduces chronic inflammation.

# Relieve Toothache And Strengthen Bones & Teeth

Papaya makes our bones and teeth stronger as it contains bone-strengthening minerals like calcium, potassium, vitamin K and magnesium, etc.Calcium promotes the growth and development of the bones and reduces the risk of bone disorders like osteoporosis.Potassium neutralizes acid load, reduces loss of calcium from the bones, and thus improves bone density.

Magnesium contributes to bone health by improving bone density.Manganese in papaya enhances calcium absorption and improves the bone mineral density of the spinal column.Anti-inflammatory compounds like vitamin C in papaya reduce pain and inflammation caused by toothache.

For relieving toothache, make a paste of fresh papaya roots and gently massage it on teeth and gums for a few minutes.Other nutrients like zinc, phosphorus, and folate, etc also aid in making our bones healthier.

# Protection From Various Cancer(s)

Papaya contains antioxidants like vitamin C, vitamin A and other antioxidantal compounds like phytonutrients, polyphenols, and flavonoids, etc.

These compounds protect our cells from free radical damage and minimize the risk of several cancers like colon cancer, abdominal cancer, lung cancer, pancreatic cancer, stomach cancer, breast cancer, and prostate cancer, etc.

Free radicals are the unstabilized ions that stabilize by stealing electrons from the neighboring molecules, and doing so causes oxidative damage to them.

# Aids in Managing Cholesterol

Vitamin C and dietary fibers in papaya reduce LDL cholesterol from the body and minimize the risk of atherosclerosis.

Atherosclerosis is a condition that leads to hardening and narrowing of the arteries due to the accumulation of plaque and fat deposits in the arterial walls.

It is a leading cause of several cardiovascular problems like heart attack, heart stroke, and coronary artery disease.