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Substances found in mango peel prevent the formation of fat cells
Last reviewed: 01.07.2025
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Is it possible to laugh at those who believe that a suspicious-looking granny's decoction will cure any ailment? Quite a few "herbs" hide enormous potential; let's remember at least the extract from milk thistle seeds, also known as bodyaga, also known as tatarnik, which contains silymarin (a mixture of four active components), which restores the liver even in the most serious cases, and in cases of death cap poisoning, doctors rely only on it, because there is simply nothing better. And now Australian scientists are reporting that components contained in the peel of certain varieties of mango (but not in the pulp) prevent the formation of fat cells.
With the expansion of fast food in all its forms, with the use of hormonal drugs in meat production, obesity has long become a global problem, which is the cause of much more complex diseases, including type 2 diabetes, heart failure and even cancer (primarily liver cancer).
Some general information. Fatty (adipose) tissues are produced by increasing the number of fat cells (adipocytes), as well as by accumulating lipids in existing cells. The development of adipocytes occurs during adipogenesis, a process that includes the appearance and development of preadipocyte cells and the accumulation of lipids. Only by preventing this can the level of fat accumulation in the body be reduced.
Tropical fruits contain a wide variety of phytochemicals (natural chemical compounds of plant origin), some of which have been shown to slow down adipogenesis. For reasons known only to them, scientists from the University of Queensland (Australia) decided to test peel extracts from various mango varieties for their activity against adipogenesis, and compare these extracts with the action of pulp extracts.
As it turned out, peel extracts of two varieties of mango - "Irwin" and "Nam Doc Mai" - successfully inhibited the development of adipocytes, and, according to the researchers, most likely, we are talking not about a single active substance, but about a unique composition of bioactive ingredients. However, the pulp of both varieties did not show any activity, which, apparently, is also explained by a different phytochemical composition.
What next? It seems convenient for everyone: the peel for doctors, the pulp for consumers. But, firstly, it is difficult to imagine a company that collects mango peel and is able to supply everyone on a global scale. And secondly, it seems much more reasonable to work with the obtained results (published, by the way, in the journal Food & Function) in order to find out what actually happens when using mango peel extract, in order to try to create a targeted remedy in the future, not associated with a natural source.
Well, the heroes of the article, the Australians, took on the task of finding out which genes are responsible for creating the unique composition of phytochemicals in mango peel.
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