Once one of the most expensive and royal of fruits, pineapples are today much more accessible. They may not be the world’s cheapest fruits, but compared to the older times when only kings and people of the upper class could afford them, pineapples is something a majority can today purchase for consumption, and the fruits are a lot more available now than they were hundreds of years ago.
Pineapples were introduced to the Americas during the colonial era. Columbus discovered the fruit during his second expedition in the Caribbean, he brought it to Europe and colonists took it across the ocean.
The pineapple remained expensive for a long time and for a long time it was consumed for sweetness and flavor, its medicinal properties only gaining in popularity once it became more available to masses.
In fact, research on pineapple as health-positive food only started accumulating since a few decades.
Studies reveal the health properties of pineapples
While to the Europeans and the early colonists the pineapple became an exotic fruit that crowned the dining tables and indicated an individual’s wealth, to the indigenous peoples the fruit was as much food as it was medicine.
In contrast, however, to what has remained as evidence from early anthropologists in regards to other fruits’ positive effects on health, there isn’t much information as to what exactly and how exactly the natives used pineapple to treat. A lot of the traditional medicine has been disregarded throughout the years, but today modern medicine reveals that natives of the South America, where the pineapple originates, were right to use pineapple as medicine.
- For example, a study published in 2007 in what is nowadays one of the leading international medical journals of natural products – Planta Medica revealed that an enzyme found in pineapples has antitumor effects superior to the chemo agent 5-fluorauracil. The enzyme is bromelain, which is widely extracted from pineapples and sold as supplement.
Further studies have shown that pineapples are also effective in treating inflammation and bowel disease, functional dyspepsia and heart conditions.
- The fruit has cardio protective properties, reducing blood viscosity and preventing the aggregation of blood platelets according to researchers at the University of Connecticut Health Center.
In 2011, a study published in the Journal of Medicinal Food indicated that bromelain is also useful in reducing pain and swelling in the early stages of acute soft tissue injuries.
- The study concluded that both commercial bromelain and bromelain found in fresh pineapple juice had positive effects in treating crush injuries to the Achilles tendon.
While studies on the effects of pineapple as medicine have been mostly performed on animals, researchers agree that the fruit has amazing benefits and should be consumed more often.
Pineapple Nutrition
A 1-cup serving of raw, ripe pineapple contains 82.5 calories, 0.9 grams protein, 2.3 grams dietary fiber, 16.3 grams sugars, 0.2 grams fat and 142 grams water.
Pineapple is a great source of vitamin C and manganese, containing 105 percent vitamin C of the daily recommended value and 77 percent manganese of the daily recommended amount. It is also a good source of various other nutrients.
Vitamins in pineapple
Vitamin A 95.7 IU
Vitamin C 78.9 mg
Vitamin K 1.2 mcg
Thiamin 0.1 mg
Riboflavin 0.1 mg
Niacin 0.8 mg
Vitamin B6 0.2 mg
Folate 29.7 mcg
Pantothenic acid 0.4 mg
Choline 9.1 mg
Betaine 0.2 mg
Minerals in pineapple
Calcium 21.5 mg
Calcium 21.5 mg
Iron 0.5 mg
Magnesium 19.8 mg
Phosphorus 13.2 mg
Potassium 180 mg
Sodium 1.7 mg
Zinc 0.2 mg
Copper 0.2 mg
Manganese 1.5 mg
Selenium 0.2 mcg
While the anti-inflammatory benefits of pineapple remain potential as researchers have yet to conclude that the effects seen in animals can be associated also with people, other health benefits can definitely be ascertained.
Pineapples offer immune support and protect the body against free radicals because they contain a good amount of vitamin C. They provide antioxidant protection containing manganese and vitamin B1, two relevant nutrients for antioxidant defenses. In addition, vitamin B1 helps with producing energy, thus pineapples can be eaten to increase energy levels.