Star fruit, fibre content, micronutrient contents, phytonutrient contents, antioxidant activity, anti-inflammatory activity, antimicrobial activity, cardio protective activity, hypolipidemic activity and hypoglycemic activity
Description : Star fruit, also known as carambola is a nutritious fruit mainly enriched in Vitamin C, antioxidant
Article Details :
Star fruit, also known as carambola is a nutritious fruit mainly enriched in Vitamin C, antioxidant and fibres. It is native to Southeast Asia and it is extremely popular for its countless health benefits. It is oval in shape and has five ridges and these ridges give the fruit an appearance of star when viewed cross-sectionally, thus the fruit is called star fruit. It is yellow or green in colour and has a sour flavor. It has been traditionally used for various medicinal and culinary purposes.
Nutritional composition
- It is considered as low sugar fruit this is because it contains lesser amount of carbohydrates and free sugar. It has estimated that 100g of star fruit contains about 6g of carbohydrate and about 3 to 4 g of sugar
- Whereas it contains desirable amount of fibre
- It contains too some extent of protein as well
- It contains negligible amount of fat
- It is considered as low calorie food as well due to its poor carbohydrate and fat contents
- It is rich in moisture
- It is packed with several micronutrients, which ultimately make the fruit healthier such as Vitamin C, Vitamin A, Vitamin B2, B5, B9, magnesium, sodium, potassium and copper
- It contains various important and healthy plant compounds like gallic acid, epicatechin and quercetin that play important role in exhibiting antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial activity
Biological activity
Antioxidant activity
- Its phytonutrients as well as micronutrient components act as potent antioxidant and help to protect the body from free radical induced oxidative damages
- It also helps to prevent the oxidation of various important biological substances of the body thus helps to sustain their functionality and promotes well being
Anti-inflammatory activity
- Its flavonoid components especially epicatechin, quercetin and gallic acid play imperative role in preventing inflammation
- Its Vitamin C content also exerts anti-inflammatory activity and significantly reduces joint swelling
Antimicrobial activity
- It is loaded with phytonutrients such as saponins, flavonoids, alkaloids etc that exhibit strong inhibitory effects on microorganism
- It helps to hinder the growth and replication of microbial cells in host thus decreases the prevalence of infectious diseases
- It is extremely effective against fungus and bacteria (both gram positive and gram negative)
Health benefits
Role on digestive health
- Consumption of the peel as well as the flesh of the fruit is associated with providing adequate amount of soluble and insoluble fibre, which play imperative role in maintaining healthy digestive system
- It helps to improve nutrient absorption thus improves nutrients bioavailability
- It helps to enhance bowel movement, which ultimately helps to improve regularity. All the credit goes to its fibre content. Fibre present in star fruit helps to increase the bulkiness of stool and also makes the stool soft by enhancing water retention as a result it helps in easy defecation
- It also helps to improve gut health by promoting the growth of intestinal flora
- Leaf decoction of star fruit has been traditionally used for protecting the gastrointestinal tract from inflammatory damages
Role on metabolism
- Proper metabolism is recognized as an essential feature for survival because faulty metabolism is responsible for increasing the risk of developing various life threatening diseases
- Consumption of star fruit is very much beneficial for boosting up the overall metabolism of body. It contains various important nutrients that take part in metabolic reactions and also promote cellular respiration
Role on hydration
- It is considered as one of the most hydrating fruits thus its consumption is very much beneficial for hydrating the body
- It is better to consume the fruit during hot and humid weather as it helps to reduce the prevalence of dehydration
Better for skin and hair
- Its antioxidant activity and vitamin components help in promoting skin health
- It helps to prevent ageing too
- Its quercetin and gallic acid component also exert potent anti-inflammatory as well as antihistamine properties that play vital role in protecting the skin from damages
- It helps to provide the skin a younger look
- It also helps to improve skin elasticity
- It helps to prevent blemishes as well as wrinkles
- It also helps to improve hair growth and increases hair shine too
- It helps to prevent hair loss as well
