Benefits Of Pawpaw.

  The papaya is an incredibly healthy tropical fruit.

It's loaded with antioxidants that can reduce inflammation, fight disease and help keep you looking young.

Here are 8 health benefits of papaya:

1. Papaya Is Delicious and Loaded With Nutrients

Papaya is the fruit of the Carica papaya plant.

Christopher Columbus reportedly called it "fruit of the angels" because it tasted so good.

The papaya originated in Central America and Southern Mexico, but is now grown in many other parts of the world.

Papaya contains an enzyme called papain, which can break down the tough protein chains found in muscle meat. Because of this, people have used papaya to tenderize meat for thousands of years.

If the papaya is ripe, it can be eaten raw. However, unripe papaya should always be cooked before eating, especially during pregnancy. That's because the unripe fruit has a high latex content, which can stimulate contractions.

Papayas are shaped similar to a pear, and can be up to 20 inches long. The skin is green when unripe, and orange when ripe. The flesh inside is yellow, orange or red.

The fruit also has many black seeds seeds inside the center. These are edible, but do have a bitter flavor.

One small papaya (152 grams) contains.

• Calories: 59
• Carbohydrates: 15 grams
• Fiber: 3 grams
• Protein: 1 gram
• Vitamin C: 157% of the RDI
• Vitamin A: 33% of the RDI
• Folate (Vitamin B9): 14% of the RDI
• Potassium: 11% of the RDI
• Trace amounts of calcium, magnesium and vitamins B1, B3, B5, E and K.

Papayas also contain healthy antioxidants called carotenoids. They are especially high in a type of carotenoid called lycopene.

What's more, these beneficial antioxidants are better absorbed from papayas than from other fruits and vegetables.

The papaya is a tropical fruit high in vitamins C and A, along with fiber and healthy plant compounds. It also contains an enzyme called papain, used to tenderize meat.

2. It Has Powerful Antioxidant Effects

Free radicals are reactive molecules created during your body's metabolism.

They do perform certain important functions, including helping to destroy harmful bacteria.

However, when you have too many of them, your body is said to be in a state of oxidative stress, which can lead to disease.

Antioxidants, including the carotenoids found in papayas, can neutralize free radicals so that they are no longer able to cause harm.

Studies have found that fermented papaya can reduce oxidative stress in the elderly and people with prediabetes, mild hypothyroidism and liver disease.

Also, many researchers believe that excessive free radicals in the brain are an important factor in Alzheimer's disease.

In one study, Alzheimer's patients given a fermented papaya extract for 6 months experienced a 40% drop in a biomarker known as 8–OHdG. This marker, which indicates oxidative damage to DNA, is also linked to aging and cancer.

The reduction in oxidative stress has been attributed to papaya's lycopene content and ability to remove excess iron, which is known to produce free radicals.