Christopher Columbus, an Italian voyager oncereferred to papayas as the fruit of the angels. Refreshingly sweet in taste, papayas are bright, pear-shaped, exotic fruits that you’ll easily find in the market throughout the year. Enclosing hundreds of black, rounded gelatinous seeds, the soft, edible orange flesh of papayas is actually nutritious, extremely rich in Vitamin C with a wide range of health benefits that includes the following.
1. Lowers cholesterol
Papaya is rich in fibre, Vitamin C and antioxidants which prevent cholesterol build up in your arteries. Too much cholesterol build-up can lead to several heart diseases including heart attack and hypertension.
2. Helps in weight loss
Those looking to lose weight must include papaya in their diet as it is very low in calories. The fibre content in papaya leaves you feeling full and also clears your bowel movement making your weight loss regime easier.
3. Boosts your immunity
Your immunity system acts as a shield against various infections that can make you really sick. A single papaya contains more than 200% of your daily requirement of Vitamin C, making it great for your immunity.
4. Good for diabetics
Papaya is an excellent food option for diabetics as it has a low-sugar content even though it is sweet to taste. Also, people who don’t have diabetes can eat papaya to prevent it from happening.
5. Great for your eyes
Papaya is rich in Vitamin A which helps protect your vision from degenerating. Nobody wants to lose their ability to see due to diseases like age-related macular degeneration, and eating papayas will ensure that you do not see a day where you cannot see.
6. Protects against arthritis
Arthritis can be a really debilitating disease and people who have it may find their quality of life reduced significantly. Eating papayas are good for your bones as they have anti-inflammatory properties along with Vitamin C which helps in keeping various forms of arthritis at bay. A study published in Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases showed that people who consumed foods low in Vitamin C were three times more likely to have arthritis than those who didn’t.
7. Improves digestion
In today’s times, it is near impossible to avoid eating foods that are bad for your digestive system. Often we find ourselves eating junk food or restaurant food prepared in excessive quantities of oil. Eating a papaya daily can make up for such occasional mistakes, as it has a digestive enzyme known as papain along with fibre which helps improve your digestive health.
8. Helps ease menstrual pain
Women who are experiencing menstrual pain should help themselves to several servings of papaya, as an enzyme called papain helps in regulating and easing flow during menstrual periods.
9. Prevents signs of ageing
All of us would love to stay young forever, but no one in this world has managed to do it. Still, healthy habits like eating a papaya daily will prolong the process and may make you look 5 years younger than you are. Papaya is rich in Vitamin C, Vitamin E and antioxidants like beta-carotene which helps prevent your skin from free radical damage keeping wrinkles and other signs of ageing at bay.
10. Prevents cancer
Papaya is a rich source of antioxidants, phytonutrients and flavonoids that prevent your cells from undergoing free radical damage. Some studies have also linked the consumption papaya to reduced risk of colon and prostate cancer.
11. Helps reduce stress
After working hard for the whole day, it is a good idea to come home to a plate a papayas. The wonder fruit is rich in several nutrients like Vitamin C which can keep you free from stress. According to a study conducted in University of Alabama, found that 200 mg of Vitamin C can help regulate the flow of stress hormones in rats.
12.Promotes hair growth:
Apart from keeping the skin healthy, papayas are very effective for maintaining healthy hair. Vitamin A in them is utilised in production of sebum, a compound that is crucial for keeping the hair smooth, shiny and moisturised. External application of papaya extract to the scalp can help you get rid of dandruff. The nutrients present in them help hair loss. They boost hair growth and strengthening. Although there is no scientific evidence, papayas are also thought to prevent hair thinning
13.Papaya Prevents Heart Attacks and Strokes
The antioxidants in papaya prevent cholesterol from oxidizing. When cholesterol becomes oxidized it forms plaque in the blood vessel walls that can eventually build up and cause a heart attack or stroke.
The fiber in papaya converts a substance called homocysteine into harmless amino acids that the body can process, but without the breakdown, homocysteine can eventually damage blood vessel walls, causing strokes or heart attacks.
14.Papaya Treats Inflammation
Papain and chymopapain, protein-digestive enzymes found in papaya lowers inflammation and improve healing from burns. Papain breaks down the inactive proteins in the skin, removing dead tissue from burns. This benefits the body as it helps heal skin injuries, relieves psoriasis, removes warts, treats ringworms and cold sores.
Also vitamins C, E and beta carotenes are good at reducing inflammation and as such these nutrients are used to treat asthma, osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis among many other inflammatory ailments.
15.Papaya Boosts Male Virility
Another great benefit of papaya is to boost male virility. Papaya contains an enzyme called arginine which is known in the medically community to boost blood flow around the man-hood. Arginine boosts nitric acid in the body to relax the muscles surrounding the blood vessels tat supply the man-hood. These blood vessels then dilate and increase blood flow. A more concentrated form of arginine is used to treat erectile dysfunction.
