Can Eating Mango Help Control Prediabetes?
More than 130 million Americans have prediabetes or diabetes. By 2030, 40% of American adults are projected to have prediabetes. Research has shown that nutrition can help. Can sweet, delicious mango?
Lifestyle is more effective than drugs for diabetes. Whereas metformin can reduce incidence of type 2 diabetes by 31%, lifestyle changes can reduce it by 58% (NEJM. 2002;346:393–403).
Previous preliminary studies have suggested that mango can help manage blood sugar (Nutr Metab Insights 2014;7:77-84; FASEB Journal 2017;31(1)suppl431.3).
Now, a new study of 23 prediabetics compared eating a mango a day for 24 weeks to eating a control granola bar of the same calories.
After 24 weeks, the mango eaters had significantly lower fasting glucose than the control group. HbA1c, the most important marker of long term blood sugar and diabetes control, remained unchanged in the control group but improved significantly in the mango group. Insulin resistance and insulin sensitivity was significantly better in the mango group.
While measures of body fat remained unchanged in the control group, body fat percentage and fat-free mass both improved significantly in mango group.
This new study adds to the evidence that fruits and vegetables have a positive effect on glycemic control. Specifically, it shows that even the sweet, delicious mango benefits glycemic control and improves body composition in a manner that could help reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes.
Foods. 2025 Aug 26;14(17):2971.
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