Bitter Melon (Bitter Gourd) and Its Extract Have 5 Health Benefits

Author: sahil bagde

Bitter melon, also known as bitter gourd or Momordica charantia, is a tropical vine that is related to zucchini, squash, pumpkin, and cucumber and belongs to the gourd family.

It's grown all over the world for its edible fruit, which is a common ingredient in Asian cuisine.

Long, pale green, and covered with wart-like bumps, the Chinese type is the most common.

The Indian version, on the other hand, is narrower and has pointy ends with rough, jagged spikes on the rind.

Bitter melon has been linked to a number of significant health benefits, in addition to its sharp flavour and striking appearance.

1. Provides a Variety of Important Nutrients

Bitter melon is high in several essential elements.

1Trusted Source): 1 cup (94 grammes) raw bitter melon provides:

Carbohydrates: 4 grammes Calories: 20

2 gramme fibre

Vitamin C: 93 percent of the Daily Recommended Intake (RDI)

Vitamin A: 44% of the recommended daily intake

Folate: 17 percent of the recommended daily intake

Potassium: 8% of the recommended daily intake

Zinc: 5% of the recommended daily intake

4 percent of the RDI for iron

Vitamin C, an important micronutrient involved in disease prevention, bone development, and wound healing, is particularly abundant in bitter melon (2Trusted Source).

It also contains a lot of vitamin A, a fat-soluble vitamin that helps with skin health and vision (3Trusted Source).

It contains folate, which is necessary for growth and development, as well as potassium, zinc, and iron in lower levels (4Trusted Source).

Bitter melon is also high in antioxidants like catechin, gallic acid, epicatechin, and chlorogenic acid, which can help protect your cells from damage (5Trusted Source).

It's also low in calories but high in fibre, providing around 8% of your daily fibre requirements in a single one-cup (94-gram) meal.

2. Can Assist in Blood Sugar Reduction

Bitter melon has long been used by indigenous communities around the world to treat diabetes-related diseases due to its powerful therapeutic effects (6Trusted Source).

Several research in recent years have proved the fruit's involvement in blood sugar regulation.

Taking 2,000 mg of bitter melon daily for three months reduced blood sugar and haemoglobin A1c, a test used to monitor blood sugar control in 24 persons with diabetes, according to a three-month study (7).

A study of 40 diabetics revealed that eating 2,000 mg of bitter melon each day for four weeks resulted in a slight drop in blood sugar levels.

Furthermore, the supplement reduced fructosamine levels, another indicator of long-term blood sugar control (8).

Bitter melon is supposed to improve the way sugar is utilised in your cells and increase insulin release, the hormone that controls blood sugar levels (9).

However, human research is limited, and larger, higher-quality studies are needed to learn more about how bitter melon affects blood sugar levels in the general population.

3. It's possible that it has anti-cancer properties.

According to research, bitter melon includes chemicals that have anti-cancer potential.

One test-tube study, for example, found that bitter melon extract was effective in destroying cancer cells in the stomach, colon, lung, and nasopharynx (the area behind the nose at the back of your throat) (10Trusted Source).

In a separate test-tube investigation, bitter melon extract was found to inhibit the growth and spread of breast cancer cells while also boosting cancer cell death (11).

Keep in mind that these studies were conducted on individual cells in a laboratory using concentrated amounts of bitter melon extract.

More research is needed to see how bitter melon affects cancer growth and development in humans when ingested in normal meal quantities.

4. Has the Potential to Lower Cholesterol Levels

High cholesterol levels can cause fatty plaque to form in your arteries, making it difficult for your heart to pump blood and raising your risk of heart disease (12Trusted Source).

Bitter melon has been demonstrated to lower cholesterol levels in animals, which may help to promote overall heart health.

The administration of bitter melon extract to rats on a high-cholesterol diet resulted in considerable reductions in total cholesterol, "bad" LDL cholesterol, and triglycerides, according to one study (13).

Another study found that giving rats bitter melon extract decreased cholesterol levels considerably when compared to a placebo. The most significant reduction was seen with higher dosages of bitter melon (14).

Despite this, most current research on bitter melon's putative cholesterol-lowering benefits is limited to animal trials involving massive dosages of bitter melon extract.

More research is needed to see if the same effects occur in humans who consume the gourd as part of a balanced diet.

5. It's possible that it'll help you lose weight.

Bitter melon is low in calories but high in fibre, making it a perfect complement to a weight-loss diet. Each one-cup (94-gram) meal provides approximately 2 grammes of fibre (1Trusted Source).

Fiber takes a long time to move through your digestive track, which helps you feel fuller for longer and reduces hunger and appetite (15Trusted Source, 16).

As a result, substituting bitter melon for higher-calorie items may help you boost your fibre consumption while also lowering your calorie intake, resulting in weight loss.

Bitter melon has also been shown to help with fat burning and weight loss in several studies.

In one trial, taking a pill containing 4.8 grammes of bitter melon extract once a day resulted in considerable abdominal fat reduction.

After seven weeks, participants shed an average of 0.5 inches (1.3 cm) from their waist circumference (17Trusted Source).

In a study of rats on a high-fat diet, bitter melon extract was found to help reduce body weight when compared to a placebo (18Trusted Source).

It's worth noting that these trials used high-dose bitter melon pills. It's still unknown whether consuming bitter melon as part of a normal diet will have the same health benefits.