
Starbucks Dragon Fruit: The fruit’s a hit with shoppers
The fruit of the coffee bean is often touted as a nutritional powerhouse.
Its high levels of protein, vitamins, minerals, and fibre, among other nutrients, help the body absorb more oxygen and reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.
But research has not proved that the drink helps to increase weight loss.
And studies of the fruit in healthy individuals have found it has little or no effect on weight loss compared to consuming regular coffee.
Now, scientists from the University of California, Irvine have identified a new way to look at the benefits of Dragon Fruit.
Dr. Daniel P. Wiese and his team at UCI’s Center for Health Sciences are conducting an in-depth study of the effect of consuming Dragon Fruit in humans.
The fruit is a combination of several varieties of coffee beans that have been genetically modified to be resistant to caffeine.
They have been grown in California since 2000, and the study is looking at the effects of consuming them.
Dr Wieses and his colleagues recruited 23 healthy adults aged 18 to 70 and tested them for signs of metabolic syndrome (high blood pressure, diabetes, and blood pressure medication use) and the presence of obesity-related disorders.
The subjects were asked to consume 3 cups of coffee every day for eight weeks, and then the researchers tested their metabolic health using a variety of measures, including body weight, blood pressure and cholesterol.
Results showed that the average weight loss of the Dragon Fruit group was 13 pounds, with the average body weight dropping by 6.5 pounds, and their average waist circumference decreasing by 3 inches.
However, there was a small difference in the impact of the fruits on overall health.
The Dragon Fruit drink had the greatest impact on body weight reduction.
Dr Piese explained:Dr Wyses said: “The key message of our study is that the effects on metabolic health and overall health of consuming the Dragon fruit can be significant, and we believe that the combination of the high level of antioxidants in the Dragon fruits can be a very good food for people.”
Dr Woese and colleagues say the findings provide further evidence that Dragon Fruit can help people shed weight and help them live longer.
He said:”It is interesting that the effect we observed here is the largest effect of the combination that we measured, and that the consumption of Dragon fruit was associated with a significant reduction in body weight.”
Dr Pieds added:”These findings may have implications for people who are overweight or obese, or people who may have other health problems that may need to be managed.”
The study, titled “Dragon Fruit and weight loss: a randomized controlled trial”, will be published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.