10 Surprising Health Benefits of Lychee Fruit

 A delicious tropical fruit that resembles a small grape, the lychee provides many health benefits. It’s rich in vitamin C and antioxidants like carotenoids and polyphenols, making it an ideal immune booster, free radical fighter, and anti-aging agent. Here are 10 surprising health benefits of lychee fruit that you may not have known about.

 

1) They are anti-inflammatory

The plant is a rich source of potent antioxidants called polyphenols, especially flavonoids such as quercetin and kaempferol. These compounds can help to reduce inflammation within cells, which is thought to be an underlying cause in many illnesses. Quercetin’s anti-inflammatory action may help prevent cancer by reducing cell mutation and may also have a role in reducing blood pressure levels. Kaempferol has been shown to inhibit growth of harmful bacteria within our gut, preventing food poisoning and diarrhea.

 

2) They boost your skin health

In Chinese medicine, lychees are thought to help promote skin health. Studies have found that lychees contain several antioxidants, such as anthocyanins, quercetin and kaempferol, which work together to protect against oxidative stress on skin cells. (1) Other studies show that lychees may help reduce UVB damage in human skin cells.(2) Overall, lychees may be a natural way to help slow down signs of aging by protecting your skin from harmful sun rays.

 

3) They protect your brain

According to a study published in Nutrition Journal, lychees can significantly protect your brain against oxidative stress. In particular, they showed that lychees have high levels of flavonoids and vitamin C, both antioxidants that have anti-inflammatory properties. This is great news for everyone who doesn’t want to develop dementia or Alzheimer’s disease later in life!

 

4) They improve digestion

Unlike most fruits, lychees aren’t loaded with fiber. This means they pass through your stomach pretty quickly. However, their size doesn’t interfere with their health benefits—the flesh is jam-packed with vitamins and antioxidants that help improve digestion and fight certain diseases. They keep your bones strong: Along with a healthy diet rich in vitamin C, lychees can also help boost bone strength thanks to their calcium content.

 

5) They are a natural energy booster

Along with being packed with vitamins and minerals, lychees are also full of natural sugars that can give you an energy boost in a hurry. While you probably don’t want to eat them all day long, it’s good to know that there is a whole fruit out there that can provide an energy boost without caffeine. If you tend to skip breakfast or run low on energy during your busy day, keep some lychees around for an easy snack at work or school. They are also a great source of antioxidants, which have been proven to help protect against cancer and other health problems.

 

6) They may prevent cancer

Although lychees may not contain cancer-fighting properties like many fruits, research has shown that eating them regularly can help slow or prevent certain cancers. In fact, according to one study out of China, people who ate lychees at least three times a week had a 19 percent lower risk of death from cancer than those who ate it less frequently. These fruits also appear to boost your body’s immune system. Research shows that regular lychee eaters are more likely to develop stronger antibodies in response to a seasonal flu vaccine and have higher levels of natural killer cells than those who don’t consume them as often.

 

7) They support weight loss

When you’re trying to shed pounds, your diet is paramount. One lychee fruit contains only 80 calories, which makes it a valuable addition to any weight-loss program. Not only do these tropical fruits taste delicious and offer sweet relief from cravings, but they can help you lose weight as well. Researchers at Arizona State University found that women who ate lychees before meals consumed 75 fewer calories than they did when they ate other types of fruits before meals.

 

8) They help keep your bones strong

Because lychees are a rich source of vitamin C, they also help improve your digestion. Because your stomach produces hydrochloric acid in order to digest food, your body takes calcium from your bones in order to provide it for digestion. This is why consuming foods that are rich in vitamin C can improve bone health.

 

9) They can reduce PMS symptoms

A study in Singapore found that women who ate 40 grams per day of lychees had improved PMS symptoms compared to those who did not. The study participants also said they felt a higher level of well-being, and their moods were more stable. This is likely due to lychees’ high vitamin C content, which studies have shown can reduce PMS symptoms by as much as 33 percent. Another reason for these benefits could be that lychees are rich in dietary fiber. Dietary fiber helps keep you full longer, so it’s easy to see how eating more fruits like lychees could help with weight loss or maintenance.

 

10) They can lower blood pressure

They contain potassium, which can lower blood pressure. Eating just a handful of lychees each day could help reduce your risk for heart disease and stroke. They’re also rich in B vitamins and other antioxidants, which work together to help improve digestion. Other nutrients that lychees contain include calcium, iron, phosphorous and zinc. However, if you’re taking certain medications or have a pre-existing medical condition, talk to your doctor before eating any new foods because some may interfere with how well your body absorbs these essential nutrients. It’s also important to note that different people may experience different reactions from new foods – some people become more energetic while others develop digestive problems.