Miracle fruit or also known as miracle berry has the unique ability to change the taste of food on the tongue. Thanks to its unique properties, this fruit is considered to have the potential to be a healthier substitute for sugar.
The nutritional content of miracle fruit
Miracle fruit is a plant native to West Africa. It is called a miracle fruit because it can change the taste of sour food to sweet.
The fruit with the scientific name Synsepalum dulcificum is oval in shape with red skin.
Once cut, you can see the white flesh of the fruit resembling a rambutan with a large dark brown seed in the middle.
This plant grows in the form of bushes or small trees not more than 5.5 meters high.
This plant is quite easy to cultivate, as long as the environment is shady, away from freezing air, and has high humidity.
Here are the nutrients you can find in miracle berries.
1. Various vitamins, such as vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin E, and vitamin K.
2. Essential amino acids, namely glycine, proline, serine, and tyrosine.
3. Phytonutrients or plant-specific compounds, such as flavonoids, phenolic compounds, and terpenoids.
Benefits of miracle fruit
Here are the various benefits of miracle fruit.
1. Manage blood sugar
Research quoted from a review published by Heliyon (2020) explains that this fruit can increase insulin sensitivity and insulin production, which is a blood sugar-lowering hormone.
Meanwhile, insulin sensitivity is the sensitivity of the body when using insulin properly. That way, blood sugar levels become more controlled.
Researchers suspect that these benefits come from miraculin and flavonoids.
Even so, this benefit still needs to be studied further because it has only been tested in mice that cannot respond to insulin or insulin resistance due to high-fructose foods.
2. Overcome changes in taste in chemotherapy patients
Chemotherapy has a number of side effects, including decreasing the tongue’s ability to taste.
This condition can reduce the patient’s appetite so that his nutritional intake is reduced. If left unchecked, the patient is at risk of experiencing malnutrition.
The good news is that miracle fruit can be a solution to this side effect.
A study published in the Clinical Journal of Oncology Nursing (2012) showed that the consumption of miracle berries increased the taste and appetite of cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy. The patient’s nutritional intake can also be fulfilled.
3. Helps lose weight
The benefits of miracle fruit help you lose weight by acting as a low-calorie sweetener.
Regular sugar certainly has higher calories. If not balanced with physical activity, high-calorie intake can make you gain weight.
What’s more, consuming these berries also makes other intakes taste sweet.
Therefore, the appetite for high-sugar foods can be reduced.
4. Maintain eye health
The benefits of this one miracle fruit come from the content of vitamin A.
Vitamin A is useful for protecting the part of the eye that receives light reflection. This helps prevent night blindness.
This nutritional content also helps provide moisture to the eyeball so that it avoids dry eye syndrome.
5. Strengthen immunity
Miracle fruit is rich in vitamin C which helps maintain immunity. Meeting the need of vitamin C helps stimulate white blood cells.
Well, it is these white blood cells that will fight diseases caused by bacterial and viral infections.
In addition, this fruit also contains vitamin C which is an antioxidant that protects the body from free radicals.
It is known, free radicals are found in ultraviolet light, pollution, to cigarette smoke and can increase the risk of chronic disease.
6. Reducing the risk of cancer
The benefits of miracle fruit help reduce the risk of cancer with the content of flavonoids and terpenoids.
Flavonoids help prevent cancer cells from spreading and multiplying.
In addition, flavonoids and terpenoids are antioxidants. So, it can counteract cancer-causing free radicals.
Even so, this fruit is not a herbal remedy for cancer and its research for cancer is still limited.
Miracle fruit is a fruit with so much potential for health.
However, after eating this fruit, make sure you don’t overindulge in any food.
If you are in doubt, try to consult a doctor to get a more definite answer.