Health Benefits of Dragon Fruit

Dragon fruit, as the name suggests, resembles a dragon. It grows on climbing cactus known as Hylocereus, which can be found in tropical regions. The outer covering of dragon fruit is in shades of red and pink or yellow. Their leaves resemble a dragon and have spikes that shoot up like a flame around the fruit. Hylocereus originally grew in Southern Mexico, South & Central America, and the French brought it to Southern East Asia during the early 19th century.

The inside of a dragon fruit is white, semi-solid fruit that can be eaten with a spoon and has nutty seeds sprinkled all over it. It is juicy with a slightly sweet taste, whereas the seeds have a nutty flavour. There are many benefits of dragon fruit that we will discuss later in this blog. Let's first discuss its nutritional value.

Nutritional Value

170 gms of dragon fruit cubes contain:

• Calories: 102
• Carbohydrates: 22 grams
• Protein: 2 grams
• Fat: 0 grams
• Fibre: 5 grams
• Sugars: 13 grams

It also contains below vitamins and minerals:

• Vitamin A: 100 international units (IU)
• Vitamin C: 4 milligrams
• Calcium: 31 milligrams
• Iron: 0.1 milligram
• Magnesium: 68 milligrams

Health Benefits of Dragon Fruit

Since it is rich in micronutrients, let us now have a look at the ten vital health benefits of dragon fruit.

1. Reduces Risk of Diabetes
Dragon fruit is known to control diabetes. It is partly due to the fibre contained in the fruit that avoids sugar spikes. Some researchers also attribute this benefit to its ability to replace damaged pancreatic cells. The pancreas produces insulin that breaks down sugar. Hence, dragon fruit is attributed to controlling sugar. 

2. Reduces Risks of Cancer
Dragon fruit is rich in antioxidants, flavonoids, phenolic acid, and betacyanin, which inhibit the damage by free radicals. Free radicals are the substances that cause cancer and premature ageing. One of the majorly occurring antioxidants is vitamin C which prevents chronic diseases such as diabetes, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, etc. This is one of the major health benefits of dragon fruit.

3. Helps Boost Immunity
As enunciated above, dragon fruit is a major source of Vitamin C. Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant that helps prevent diseases and boosts your immunity. Some studies suggest eating 200 grams of dragon fruit every day to ward off diseases.

4. Improves Digestion
Dragon fruit contains prebiotics such as oligosaccharides which encourages the growth of good gut bacteria. These prebiotics help in the digestion of food since they reside in the lower digestive tract, where they encourage the growth of good gut bacteria. Gut bacteria help break down food by making them easily absorbed. They also provide vitamins that protect the body against various diseases

5. Improves Heart Health
Our body contains Haemoglobin (Hb) which is an iron-rich cell. These Hb cells help in transporting oxygen from the heart to other body parts. Dragon fruits are a rich source of iron and hence aid in the manufacture of haemoglobin. 
The dragon fruit with red-coloured pulp contains betalains, which are unique nitrogen-containing pigments. Betalains are uniquely known to lower the bad cholesterol in the body. 

Apart from that, the fruit also contains black seeds that are abundant in omega-3 and omega-9, which are good for the heart and lower the chances of cardiovascular diseases.

6. Fights against Ageing Skin
As enunciated above, dragon fruit contains antioxidants that help fight ageing from pollution, stress, poor diet, etc. Vitamin C in dragon fruit also brightens the skin.

7. Good for Hair
Studies suggest that taking dragon fruit every day with milk reduces hair damage caused by pollution and artificial colours. It also makes our hair soft and shiny, enhancing its beauty.

8. Healthy Bones
Dragon fruit contains magnesium that strengthens bones, helping us avoid injury and pain associated with old age. Hence, it is highly recommended that individuals who are at a higher risk of bone diseases consume dragon fruit regularly.

9. Good For Eyes
This fruit contains beta-carotene, which breaks down into Vitamin A. The human eye lens is rich in lutein, zeaxanthin, and meso-zeaxanthin, which help maintain eye health and prevent ophthalmic diseases. Research suggests that humans should take 3 milligrams to 6 milligrams of beta carotene every day to prevent eye diseases.

10. Good During Pregnancy
Dragon fruit helps during pregnancy in the following ways: -

• Rich source of fats - 

Good fats help maintain high energy levels in the body and also assist in the development of the foetal brain.

• Guards against infections - 

Dragon fruit safeguards one against infections and helps in cell regeneration.

• Relief from constipation - 

Fibres in dragon fruit prevent constipation and other gastric diseases in pregnant women.

• Elevation of haemoglobin levels - 

The iron in the dragon fruit helps improve the blood cells' capacity to carry oxygen, thereby boosting haemoglobin levels, which is highly essential for pregnant women.

Side Effects of Dragon Fruit 

One of the major dragon fruit side effects is the allergic reaction that it causes. It may include swelling of the tongue, hives, or vomiting. All these side effects are temporary, happen to a small fraction of people, and vanish once the fruit is completely out of the system.

Conclusion

Till now, we have seen that dragon fruit has innumerable health benefits. Easy ways to eat dragon fruit are to have it with salad, use it as a topping for greek yoghurt, squeeze it in juices, or put it in ice cream. Eating dragon fruit on a regular basis will help you ward off diseases and improve your health.