Benefits of Dragon Fruit Juice for Health

Benefits of Dragon Fruit Juice for Health

Dragon fruit can be processed into juice without reducing its nutritional content. The benefits of dragon fruit juice include reducing the risk of disease and improving digestion.

Dragon fruit has a red skin with white or red flesh. It tastes sweet with a little sour. Dragon fruit has a number of health benefits for the body. Based on U.S. data Department of Agriculture, the content of dragon fruit with a weight of 227 grams includes:

Calories: 136 Protein: 3 grams

Fat: 0 grams

Carbohydrates: 29 grams

Fiber: 7 grams

Vitamin C: 4 milligrams

Calcium: 31 milligrams

Iron: 1 gram

Magnesium: 68 milligrams

There are so many nutrients and vitamins in dragon fruit that it is often referred to as “Superfoods”. Dragon fruit is low in calories but contains many essential vitamins and minerals and contains a large amount of dietary fiber. Dragon fruit can be processed into a refreshing juice. Dragon fruit juice still contains many benefits that are good for the body. The various benefits of dragon fruit juice are discussed below.

1. Reduce the risk of disease The antioxidant content in dragon fruit juice is useful for preventing various chronic diseases. Antioxidants work by neutralizing free radicals, thereby preventing cell damage and inflammation. Studies in the British Journal of Pharmacology show that consuming dragon fruit which contains antioxidants can help prevent chronic diseases such as heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and arthritis.

2. Boost immunity Dragon fruit juice contains vitamin C which helps boost the immune system and also helps in fighting coughs and asthma. Not only that, dragon fruit is also useful to help heal wounds quickly because of the vitamin C content in it.

3. Smooth digestion The benefits of dragon fruit juice for digestion lies in its prebiotic content. Prebiotics have the potential to improve the balance of good bacteria in your gut. Reporting from the journal Food Chemistry, prebiotics are a special type of fiber that encourages the growth of healthy bacteria in the stomach. Consuming dragon fruit juice regularly can be beneficial to reduce the risk of infections in the digestive tract and diarrhea. That's because prebiotics trigger the growth of good bacteria, which researchers say can beat bad bacteria.

4. Contains healthy fatty acids Dragon fruit juice contains healthy fatty acids in the seeds. According to research in the World Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, dragon fruit seeds contain omega-3 and omega-9 fatty acids and natural oils that are good for the body. Omega-3 works well for heart health. These fatty acids can prevent irregular heartbeats, reduce fatty plaques in artery walls, lower blood clotting, lower triglycerides (blood fats), increase HDL (good cholesterol), and reduce inflammation.

5. Helps prevent cancer Study by Leonie de Munter et al. in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition in 2015 found an association between vitamin C intake and cancer risk. The benefits of dragon fruit juice in preventing cancer are in its high vitamin C content. In the study, 120,852 people who had a high intake of vitamin C had a reduced risk of developing cancer. 

6. Increase iron levels Dragon fruit juice is rich in iron which plays an important role in transporting oxygen throughout the body. Iron also functions to break down food into energy. However, many people don't get enough iron. In fact, a study published in Cold Spring Harbor Perspectives in Medicine found that 30% of the world's population is iron deficient. So, consuming dragon fruit regularly can be useful to meet the iron needs in the body.

7. Contains lots of vitamins Dragon fruit also contains groups of B vitamins (B1, B2 and B3) which have an important role in health. Vitamin B1 has benefits for increasing energy production and carbohydrate metabolism. Vitamin B2 in acts as a multivitamin and helps repair and restore lost appetite. Vitamin B3 present in dragon fruit plays an important role in lowering bad cholesterol levels and giving the skin a smooth and moist appearance as well as improving the sense of sight and preventing hypertension.

How to Make Dragon Fruit Juice

Unripe dragon fruit will be green. Look for a bright red. A few spots on the skin of a dragon fruit is normal, but too many spots such as bruises can indicate that the dragon fruit is overripe. Ripe dragon fruit will feel soft but not mushy. To make dragon fruit juice, cut the dragon fruit then put it in a blender and add a little honey instead of sugar.