Food and Health Awareness | Amazing Health Benefits of Passion Fruit

Passion fruit is an intriguing and mysterious fruit that has a surprising number of health and medicinal benefits for those fruit lovers who add it to their diet. These benefits include passion fruit’s ability to prevent cancerous growth, enhance digestion power, boost immune function, improve eyesight and skin health, regulate fluid balance in the body, lower blood pressure, boost circulation, and improve bone mineral density. Furthermore, it reduces signs of premature aging, lessens inflammation, improves sleeping habits, and eliminates asthma.

What is Passion Fruit?

Passion fruit looks a little strange growing on its creeper vine, which can wrap itself around almost any surface and cling onto it, seeking sunlight. However, don’t let appearances fool you, this fruit is widely eaten around the world, and has been for hundreds of years. There are more than 500 varieties of it, and their appearance varies widely. In terms of color, they are usually yellow or dark purple and look somewhat like a grapefruit. The interior is filled with a firm, juicy meat and an abundance of seeds. The fruit is regularly squeezed for the highly beneficial juice, and you often see it added to other juices to improve the flavor and add an exotic taste.

Health Benefits of Passion Fruit

Let’s explore some of those benefits in greater detail below.

Prevents Cancer

Passion fruit is also a powerful source to enhance anti-carcinogenic activity in the body. Antioxidants in passion fruit primarily eliminate free radicals, which are known for mutating the DNA of healthy cells into cancerous ones. 

Reduces Blood Pressure

If you eat one serving of passion fruit each day, you can satisfy 1/4 of your potassium needs immediately. Potassium is a vital mineral in the human body for a number of reasons, one of which is its role as a vasodilator. It relaxes the tension of blood vessels and promotes increased blood flow. This reduces the strain on the heart and increases overall cardiovascular health. Furthermore, potassium is necessary to maintain the proper fluid balance of the body’s cells. 

Improves Circulation

When combined with the vasodilation properties of potassium, the high iron and copper content of passion fruit can really make an impact. Iron and copper are both essential components of red blood cell production. Once the RBC count increases and the vessels are dilated, then healthy, oxygenated blood can flow freely to necessary areas of the body, stimulating the metabolic activity in all the organ systems and boosting productivity and efficiency.

Aids in Digestion

Passion fruits are a very strong source of fiber, and a single serving provides the human body with approximately 98% of its daily requirement. Fiber is an essential component of a healthy diet since it is the substance that facilitates healthy digestion of food and the regulation of bowel movements. 

Treats Insomnia

One often overlooked compound in passion fruit is a medicinal alkaloid, harman, which functions as a sedative. This compound of passion fruit has been connected to a reduction in restlessness, insomnia, and nervous anxiety, which can keep you from getting a good night’s sleep.

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