6 Benefits of Star Fruit, Dangers, and Best Ways to Eat

Star fruit (Averrhoa carambola) also known as carambola, is a tree species native to Southeast Asia. Let’s look at the benefits of star fruit, how to eat and who shouldn’t eat it.

It’s quite juicy and crunchy with a sweet and mild sour taste and it’s very refreshing on a hot day.

Cutting the star fruit crosswise produces five-point star-shaped slices that look very beautiful. It is perfect for decorating desserts and breakfast porridges. It adds a unique flavour too.

In addition, you can put this on many dishes to add a mild zesty flavour.

Unripe starfruit is commonly used in salads. Similarly, some people make it into fruit juice.

The fruit is widely used in curries and for garnishing because of its delicious flavour and its health benefits.

Thanks to their shape, dehydrated slices are found in many countries but stick to the non-sugary ones to get the most benefits of star fruits.

Studies need to be funded and most funding comes from pharmaceutical companies and they don’t gain financial benefits from positive health results found in fruits, herbs and teas. So the little research that’s available is funded by universities, the United Nations and governments. Governments often fund research on fruits available in their own countries, so you would naturally see more research about berries that grow in Europe than star fruits.

Many scientific sources have been included, however, the research, particularly for starfruit, is very limited. Especially when it comes to human trials. There are double-blinded randomised studies on individual minerals found in Star Fruit.

But there have been no double-blinded randomised studies on humans specific to start fruit.

There have been studies indicating that fatty liver can be reduced by compounds found in Star Fruit.

They’re also being studied for their ability to prevent liver cancer.

One of the benefits of star fruit appears to be some evidence that shows inflammation reduction properties.

The high levels of antioxidants in this fruit make it a good anti-inflammatory that may ease symptoms of psoriasis and dermatitis leading to clear skin.

Being high in fibre is one of the benefits of star fruit and may help boost your metabolism.

Each serving is low in calories, you can enjoy star fruit as a snack without worrying about putting on weight.

Star fruit provides you with a boost of vitamin C, which ensures that your body will produce the right level of white blood cells for a strong immune system.

Research suggests that people who eat more vitamin C have fewer wrinkles

One of the lesser-known benefits of star fruit is that it can help with sleep.

Star fruits are loaded with magnesium, a sleep-promoting mineral. Magnesium can help the body relax. This nutrient reduces stress and helps you sleep longer.

This is perhaps one of the unsurprising benefits of star fruit.

Hypertension is classified as a disease that is often called the Silent Killer. Hypertension can attack at various ages.

South East Asia Nursing Research shows one of the major benefits of star fruit: “Sweet starfruit juice is very useful for lowering blood pressure because of its fibre, potassium, phosphorus and vitamin C content”

People with kidney problems should avoid star fruit due to the high levels of oxalic acid. Ingestion has also been reported to produce acute oxalate nephropathy as shown in this study.

People with kidney stones should completely avoid it. Starfruit contains a high dose of oxalic acid.

The high content of oxalic acid may interfere with nutrient absorption, and mineral metabolism and may lead to oxaluria (a condition that leads to stone formation).

Drug Interactions: Limited data suggest that lime, star fruit, and pomegranate juice may reduce CYP3A4 activity. The inhibition of CYP3A4 can result in the accumulation of drug concentrations that can put the patient at increased risk for side effects and toxicity.

The benefits of Star Fruit are plentiful but you need to be aware of the dangers mentioned above, particularly ones related to kidneys.

As with anything that’s ‘good’, it’s only good in moderation.