Pineapple Nutritional Facts
| Fyffes Gold Pineapple per 100g of fruit flesh | |
|---|---|
| Fat | <0.2g |
| Protein | 0.52g |
| Total Sugars | 12.78g |
| Vitamin C | 33.18 mg |
| Carbohydrate | 13.20g |
| Energy Kcal / 100g | 61.25kcal |
| Potassium | 115.33mg |
| Thiamin (B1) | 0.08mg |
| Riboflavin (B2) | 0.02 mg |
Fyffes Gold pineapples contain 226mg of bromelain per 100g of flesh. (Reading Scientific Services Ltd. 25/2/05)
Pineapples have been used as a medicinal plant in several native cultures and bromelain has been known chemically since 1876. In 1957, bromelain was introduced as a therapeutic compound when Heinicke found it in high concentrations in pineapple stems. Two forms exist: stem and fruit.
What is Bromelain?
Bromelain is an enzyme extracted from the pineapple fruit or stem (Gale Encyclopaedia of Alternative Medicine).
Medical Research has shown the effects below; but a lot more work is needed to be done before the proussus can be fully understood
Its properties are
Can aid digestion
Good health depends on adequate digestion. Bromelain is an enzyme capable of enhancing digestion, therefore reducing or eliminating nausea, heartburn, gastric reflux, and other symptoms that accompany non-digestion of foods. Pineapple consumption at the end of a meal and the comfort that it can bring is possibly the most often encountered benefit for bromelain.
Increases the efficiency of antibiotics
Research indicates that Bromelain increases the effectiveness of antibiotics in our bodies by enabling them to enter the blood stream more efficiently, therefore speeding up the recovery process.
Helps reduce bruising and swelling/Blood thinning properties
Bromelain speeds up the body’s healing process. Bromelain helps prevent blood platelets from sticking together; in other words, it keeps blood flowing freely. The result is that it helps to reduce swelling, by allowing better blood supply to the injured area and this leads to the healing of damaged tissue, especially muscle.
Can help minimise heart disease and stroke
Bromelain helps to prevent the formation of blood clots in arteries. This helps to prevent and treat cardiovascular disease. Bromelain is also beneficial in reducing the clumping of platelets, which are small plate like particles in the blood. This reduces the risk of stroke.
A great deal more research is necessary.
Anti-tumor action
Studies have shown that Bromelain taken by cancer sufferers has resulted in the growth of a tumour being slowed down. Research has shown that when consuming bromelain for 6 months to several years it can prevent the spread of cancerous cells from one part of the body to the other.