MA lot of sites are vying with each other to praise pineapple juice – they say, it not only helps to lose weight, but also has an extremely positive effect on male function. The reason is minerals, vitamins, antioxidants and the mysterious substance bromelain, which improves metabolism.
Unfortunately, the authors of such materials often mislead readers – either due to a low level of knowledge, or openly promoting the use of bromelain in supplements. Is pineapple juice really so healthy that you need to drink it every day?
Pineapple is good for men
“Pineapple is a fruit of a perennial herb originally native to South America. Pineapple was brought to Europe only in the 17th century, where it was considered exotic and expensive for a long time (even today this fruit is grown exclusively in tropical countries).
Although pineapple is not a citrus, its composition is close to that of tangerines, oranges and grapefruits. First, they all contain mainly water (up to 80% and more); secondly, their color (yellow or red) is due to the presence of similar phytonutrients, flavonoids.
Pineapple also contains minerals and vitamins typical for citrus fruits – first of all, manganese and vitamin C. 100 g of fresh pineapple pulp cover up to 80% of the daily value of vitamin C and up to 46% of the norm of manganese. The content of other nutrients does not exceed 10% of the recommen
- manganese – 46% of the norm
- vitamin B6 – 6%
- copper – 6%
- thiamine – 5%
- folic acid – 5%
Bromelain
In most cases, talking about the benefits of pineapple (especially for men) comes down to talking about the benefits of bromelain contained in its composition. Bromelain is a natural enzyme capable of breaking down low molecular weight proteins and, in particular, influencing the metabolism of arginine.
Recall that the amino acid arginine is involved in the synthesis of nitric oxide NO, which is a local tissue hormone with multiple effects – from anti-inflammatory to vasodilation (relaxation of smooth muscles) and stimulation of angiogenesis (formation of new blood vessels).
Are the benefits of pineapple true or myth?
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In theory, the bromelain contained in pineapple, by affecting the metabolism of arginine, should improve the functioning of the cardiovascular system. Plus, since nitric oxide is linked to erectile function in men, it is implied that pineapple can help improve libido as well.
However, you need to remember that the bromelain contained in the pulp and in the core of pineapple is different. In the first case, the pH is 4.6, in the second – 9.55. In practice, only alkaline bromelain, obtained from pineapple core, has an effect on metabolism.
Pineapple Juice – Should You Drink It?
If the use of bromelain shows some health benefits (in particular, there is research on the effect on reducing the feeling of muscle fatigue and reducing the number of microinflammation2) – it is not at all about the use of pineapple juice.
As mentioned above, bromelain is found mainly in the core of pineapple – while in the pulp, and, especially, in the juice, the enzyme is practically absent. Plus, most pineapple juice bags contain added fructose syrup as a sweetener.
// How much sugar is in juices?
Fat breakdown and weight loss
The second pineapple myth is that bromelain breaks down fats, increases the thermic effect of food – and ultimately helps you lose weight. Unfortunately, in this case we are talking about a direct substitution of concepts – bromelain helps to break down not into fats at all, but proteins.
That is, even if the pineapple core containing bromelain is used, an improvement in the digestion of low molecular weight proteins, but not fats, can be observed. However, there is no scientific evidence that it helps you lose weight without calorie control.
As a result, the reconstituted pineapple juice from the package contains a minimum amount of alkaline bromelain, but there is an extremely high amount of added sugar (most often in the form of fructose syrup, which is significantly more harmful to metabolism).
