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Papaya is the pear shaped fruit of the plant Carica papaya. The papaya fruit is regarded as one of the most nutritious fruits due to its high vitamin and mineral content. Discover some of the interesting papaya nutrition facts with this article.The papaya (from Carib via Spanish), papaw, or pawpaw is the fruit of the plant Carica papaya, the sole species in the genus Carica of the plant family Caricaceae. It is native to the tropics of the Americas, and was first cultivated in Mexico several centuries before the emergence of the Mesoamerican classical civilizations.

Papaya Health Benefits
Know about numerous papaya health benefits which you can make use of and add healthy years to your life. This fruit is not only delicious, but it is also attributed as a power house of nutrients...
Everyone is well aware of the fruit papaya and I guess, I need not give you the description of how does it look like, taste and where it is found. However, you may not know that papaya was attributed by the name "The Fruit of the Angels", by Christopher Columbus [an Italian navigator who discovered the New World in the service of Spain while looking for a route to China (1451-1506)]. Before we head on for the papaya health benefits, here is a brief insight on the nutritive value of the fruit, per 100g. Papaya contains 56 mg of vitamin C and 20 mg of calcium. Carbohydrates in the fruit is of the quantity 10 g and vitamin A, 1750 I.U. 16 mg of phosphorus is present in papaya and 470 mg of potassium. Apart from containing vitamin E and K, papaya has a calorific value of 39. Now, let's study about the many papaya health benefits that you can avail.

Papaya enzyme health benefits come from papain and chymonpapain, the two very important enzymes of the fruit. These enzymes aid in the digestion of protein in the body. Out of the two, papain is the most abundant and most active. One important fact to take a note of is that, these two enzymes gradually vanish as the fruit ripens. So, in order to avail the benefits, pick your fruit when it is still green. Apart from aiding to the digestion process, other papaya enzyme benefits include treating edemas, inflammation and wounds. The antioxidant nutrients such as vitamin C, vitamin E and beta-carotene also aid to reducing any inflammatory symptoms. Thus, people with asthma, osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis would find great relief with an increase in the consumption of this fruit. The enzymes, papain and chymonpapain, also prevent cornea scar deformation and help in treating insect stings.

Talking about papaya seeds health benefits, they include protection against E. coli, Salmonella and Staph infections and certain kidney diseases. Papaya seeds extract are also known to get rid of intestinal parasites and they also help in detoxifying the liver.

Treating constipation is one of the well known papaya fruit health benefits. Infections of the colon can be addressed by drinking papaya juice and ripened form of the fruit may help prevent cancer in organs and glands with epithelial tissue. Other papaya health benefits include managing nausea including morning sickness and motion sickness and producing a tonic effect in the stomach and intestines. Papaya's content of folate, vitamin C, beta-carotene and vitamin E are also associated with reduced risks of colon cancer.

Lowering cholesterol level and preventing the development of atherosclerosis and diabetic heart disease are also among the well known papaya health benefits. Apart from these, papaya's richness in vitamin A, has earned it the reputation to be an ideal home remedy for lung protection. People who are in a risk of lung cancer should consider adding this fruit to their daily diet.

Boosting the immune system is yet another one among the other papaya benefits. Richness of vitamin C and vitamin A in the fruit, strengthens the immune system and keeps one from illnesses and recurrent infections like cold and flu and like that of the ear.

Macular Degeneration (eye disease caused by degeneration of the cells of the macula lutea and results in blurred vision; can cause blindness) is an age-related illness and is the primary cause of vision loss in older adults. According to researches, adding papaya to the diet can provide a great deal of benefit in reducing the risk of developing this eye disease. Read more on pampering the papaya

To conclude this piece of information on papaya health benefits, according to different surveys, people who took papaya along with green tea, were found less prone to develop prostate cancer than others. Thus, with so many benefits in store, a healthy diet must comprise of this 'wonder fruit' as one of its key ingredients!

Source: http://www.buzzle.com/articles/papaya-health-benefits.html