Top 5 Health Benefits of Pineapple & Who Shouldn’t Eat It

Pineapple is one of the most delicious tropical fruits that you can eat or add to smoothies. It can work well as an ingredient in cakes, curries or controversially as a pizza topping. The Health Benefits of Pineapple are less known.

In 1493, the pineapple was discovered by Christopher Columbus on Guadeloupe and was introduced to people outside the New World.

He called it piña de Indes, which means “pine of the Indians’ and brought it with him back to Spain. The Spanish introduced Pineapples to the Philippines. The Philippines remains to be one of the top pineapple exporters in the world.

Pineapples contain Bromelain

Bromelain is key to the health Benefits of Pineapple. It is a mixture of enzymes that are found mostly in the stem of the pineapple plant (one of the parts that are often thrown away).

Bromelain is often promoted as a dietary supplement for reducing pain and swelling, especially of the nose and sinuses, gums, and other body parts after surgery or injury. It is also promoted for osteoarthritis, cancer, digestive problems, and muscle soreness. https://www.nccih.nih.gov/

Bromelain is also used for conventional medicine these days. According to Bromelain (pharmacology), the medication is approved for burns.

Applying on burnt wounds in the form of a gel shows significant reductions for needed surgeries and skin transplants.

What are the top 5 benefits of eating pineapple?

1. Helps with Digestion

Bromelain, enzymes from pineapple act as an effective digestive aid in digesting and breaking down proteins. This helps easily absorb nutrients across the small intestine. According to this NCBI article, this is particularly helpful for people whose pancreas can’t make enough digestive enzymes and need some help.

Bromelain also aids in relieving upset stomachs and eases the symptoms of stomach disorders.

Like many other fruits and vegetables, pineapple is a rich source of fibre, soluble and insoluble. Eating it regularly helps the stimulation of the digestive tract. It is great for gut bacteria and overall is helpful for optimal digestive health.

Precaution: While this fruit is beneficial for your digestive tract, it may cause irritation or gastrointestinal distress if consumed in large quantities.

2. Reducing Inflammation

Due to its inflammation-reducing properties, eating it may help to treat inflammatory bowel disorders that include swelling and ulcers.

According to science direct, pineapple is rich in a mixture of enzymes that blocks the production of inflammatory kinins. Kinins are proteins in the blood that cause inflammation and affect blood pressure.

Based on the National Institutes of Health, Bromelain demonstrated that it can effectively decrease neutrophil migration to sites of acute inflammation.

3. Helps with Fertility

Pineapple is high in antioxidants. It contains a significant amount of vitamin C and beta-carotene that fights cell damage. It also contains minerals such as zinc, copper, and folate. Antioxidant-rich diets improve fertility.

Benefits of pineapple for men

Bromelain in pineapple helps keep up testosterone production which can elevate the sex drive in men. High levels of vitamin C and thiamine in pineapple help with energy and stamina.

Further reading:

How the Pineapple Became the Icon of I.V.F.

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/02/style/pineapple-in-vitro-fertilization-pregnancy.html

Pineapple core, bromelain, and embryo implantation: what the science really says

https://modernfertility.com/blog/pineapple-core-bromelain-implantation/

4. Fights Against the Ageing Process – Excellent Source of Manganese

Manganese is an essential nutrient as it protects our cells from free radicals that cause damage to our cells and fights against the ageing process and disease. Manganese is vital for energy production within our cells and antioxidant defences.

5. Cancer Cells Suppressor

Many studies have shown that cancer risk reduces if you eat this fruit regularly. This is because Bromelain may minimize oxidative stress and reduce inflammation.

Based on research, Bromelain may act as an effective cancer-fighting agent. Especially if it has been used in conjunction with chemotherapy to suppress the cancer cells’ growth.

The studies show the effect of Bromelain on cancer cells, for instance, a test-tube study show with increasing concentrations of Bromelain induces cancer cell death.

A similar anti-tumour effect of Bromelain can be seen on cancer cells of the gastric system, skin and colon.

Other Benefits of Pineapple

Here are some of the other benefits of pineapple that didn’t make it to the top 5:

• Strengthen your bones
  • NCBI: Spinal bone loss in postmenopausal women supplemented with calcium and trace minerals.

• Bromelain helps to reduce mucus in the throat and nose.
  • LiveStrong: Foods That Help Sinus Congestion

• Keep your eyes healthy
  • All About Vision: What Is Age-Related Macular Degeneration

• Prevent hair loss and make it thicker

• Pineapple juice can help beat morning nausea in pregnant women
  • American College of Healthcare Science: Holistic mommy: Top 12 foods to beat morning sickness naturally (Part 2)

Who Shouldn’t Eat Pineapple

Bromelain has anticoagulant properties according to this research. It might increase the risk of bleeding when consumed with blood thinning medication or have a condition that causes blood thinning.

Pineapple contains a lot of sugar and can spike your blood sugar levels. So you need to be cautious if you have a condition where you need to watch your sugar levels such as diabetes, type ii diabetes, high blood pressure or pre-diabetes.

The bromelain in pineapple may increase the absorption of antibiotics such as amoxicillin and tetracycline according to this article found in the National Library of Medicine.

Conclusion – Benefits of Pineapple

Those are the top 5 benefits of eating pineapple. Pineapple is a versatile and super healthy fruit. You can enjoy this fruit in many forms as fresh, frozen, dried, canned, juices and smoothies as well as in cooked food and many other drinks. It doesn’t matter how you prefer to eat it as long as you include this health-benefit-loaded fruit in your diet regularly in order to stay healthy and happy.

Sources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pineapple

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27602208

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bromelain_(pharmacology

https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/bromelain

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/02/style/pineapple-in-vitro-fertilization-pregnancy.html

https://modernfertility.com/blog/pineapple-core-bromelain-implantation/

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.3109/07357907.2013.784777?journalCode=icnv20

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19339108%20

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8205729/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8067380/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4998156/

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For all information, I provide links to reputable sources. If you agree or disagree or have your own information that you’d like to share, then please comment below.