Mangoes can be useful in reducing facial wrinkles in older women: Study

A study published in the journal Nutrients by researchers at the University of California, Davis has come across wrinkle reduction feature of Ataulfo mangoes, commonly known as honey or Champagne mangoes that might prove to be potent for older women with fair skin.

According to the report, postmenopausal women who ate a half cup of Ataulfo mangoes four times a week saw a 23 per cent decrease in deep wrinkles after two months and a 20 per cent decrease after four months.

Lead author Vivien Fam, a doctoral student in the UC Davis Department of Nutrition said,"That's a significant improvement in wrinkles, but the findings are very specific and come with a caveat."

"Women who ate a cup and a half of mangoes for the same periods of time saw an increase in wrinkles. This shows that while some mango may be good for skin health, too much of it may not be," Fam said.

Researchers said it's unclear why consuming more mangos would increase the severity of wrinkles but speculate that it may be related to a robust amount of sugar in the larger portion of mangoes.

The randomised clinical pilot study involved 28 postmenopausal women with Fitzpatrick skin types II or III. Women were divided into two groups to evaluate the facial wrinkles using a high-resolution camera system. One group consumed a half cup of mangoes four times a week for four months, and another consumed a cup and a half for the same period of time.

Robert Hackman, a professor in the Department of Nutrition and corresponding author of the study said, "The system we used to analyze wrinkles allowed us to not just visualize wrinkles, but to quantify and measure wrinkles,"

"This is extremely accurate and allowed us to capture more than just the appearance of wrinkles or what the eye might see," added Hackman.

The study looked at the severity, length, and width of fine, deep, and emerging wrinkles. Fam told that the group who consumed a half cup of mangoes saw improvements in all categories. The reason for the same may be due to the beneficial effects of carotenoids (orange or red plant pigments), and other phytonutrients that could help build collagen."Further research would be required to learn the mechsms behind the reduction in wrinkles," she added.

( With inputs from ANI )