The Impact of Whole Pureed Mango on Inflammatory Biomarkers and Immune Function After Post-exhaustive Exercise in Healthy Sedentary Young Adults

Objectives: The aims of this study were to investigate the effects of whole pureed mango smoothies on cycling performance during, and inflammatory biomarkers, immune cell function, and biomarkers of muscle damage following exhaustive exercise in healthy sedentary young adults. Methods: A randomized, placebo-control, cross-over, 10-week study was conducted. Participants consumed 250g mango or 185g placebo smoothie daily for 4 weeks each with a 2 week washout period in-between. A 1-hour exhaustive exercise trial was performed on a cycle ergometer at the end of the treatment. Blood was obtained before and post exercise to evaluate serum biomarkers of inflammatory and muscle damage biomarkers. Peripheral mononuclear cells were isolated to investigate immune function along with exercise performance data were collected during the exhaustive time trials. Results: A total of 25 participants completed each treatment. There was a significant increase in pro-inflammatory biomarkers in the placebo group. There was a significant difference in plasma levels of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) within the placebo group, and in myoglobin (MG) and cycling time at given wattage within both groups. There was a significant difference between the placebo and mango groups in cell viability analysis. There was also significant change within the mango and the placebo group in IL-10 and CD8(+) T Lymphocytes (UR). There was a non-significant reduction in biomarkers of muscle damage in the mango group. Although it did not achieve a level of significance, there were decreases in the inflammatory biomarkers in the mango group. Conclusions: The findings suggest that consuming whole pureed mango may decrease inflammatory biomarkers after exhaustive exercise in sedentary young adults. There was also supportive data regarding favorable immune function response in the mango group but not in the placebo group. However, they do not support the hypothesis that consuming whole mango improves performance and reduces post-exercise biomarkers of muscle damage in this population.