By Staff Writer - March, 25th 2014

Papaya is used for preventing and treating gastrointestinal tract disorders, intestinal parasite infections, and as a sedative and diuretic. It is also used for nerve pains (neuralgia) and elephantoid growths. Elephantoid growths are large swollen areas of the body that are symptoms of a rare disorder of the lymphatic system caused by parasitic worms.

Natural Health News —If you want to boost you intake of carotenoids, new data suggests that you’d be better off eating some papaya than a tomato or a carrot.

All three foods are important dietary sources of beta-carotene and lycopene. But scientists wanted to find out if there was any difference in the bioavailability of carotenoids between them.

This small study, in the British Journal of Nutrition, involved 16 people who randomly assigned to eat meals containing raw carrots, tomatoes and papayas each of which supplied an equal amount of beta-carotene and lycopene.

Carotenoids are lipophilic, that is stored and transported around the body in fats, so the researchers studied the levels of carotenoids found in what are called triglyceride-rich lipoproteins (TRLs), which the body releases after a meal, to assess bioavailability. Results were analysed over 9.5 hours after test meal consumption.

The bioavailability of beta-carotene from papayas was approximately 3 times higher …

Papaya seems safe for most people when taken in small amounts. Don’t take papaya by mouth in large amounts. It could damage the esophagus, the food tube in the throat. Applying papaya to the skin can cause severe irritation and allergic reactions in some people.

Make sure to read the rest of the article at Nyrnaturalnews.

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