You won’t be bitter about this.
A weird, warty vegetable is the latest darling of the wellness world, packed with antioxidants, nutrients and a bold flavor that’s not for the faint of heart.
While it’s only just now catching on in the US, the gnarly green gourd has been a staple of Eastern medicine for thousands of years — helping fuel some seriously long lives.
Just look at Okinawa, Japan, one of the world’s five original “Blue Zones,” known for its exceptional longevity.
Bitter melon is a dietary staple in the prefecture, where residents have far lower rates of heart disease, cancer and obesity than Americans — and women live longer than anywhere else on Earth.
“There’s a reason why foods like bitter melon have been preserved and passed down for generations in a place like Japan. They intuitively knew that this food was somehow good for you,” Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN’s chief medical correspondent, said on his show “Chasing Life.”
Bitter melon, a member of the squash family, is commonly grown in Asia, Africa and the Caribbean.
It primarily comes in two forms: the Chinese variety, which is long, pale green, and covered in wart-like bumps; and the Indian variety, which is slimmer, with pointed ends and a rind lined with sharp, jagged spikes.
Known for its intensely bitter taste, the gourd isn’t just for culinary adventurers.
“It’s a great option for those looking to fight disease through healthful food choices,” Beth Czerwony, a registered dietician, told the Cleveland Clinic.
Bitter melon is loaded with vitamin C, the immune booster that helps heal wounds and keeps cartilage, bones, teeth and skin healthy.
It’s also packed with vitamin A, great for your vision and reproductive health, plus essential minerals like calcium, potassium, zinc, magnesium and phosphorus.
The veggie is high in dietary fiber too, helping promote satiety, slow digestion, and support weight management. It may help prevent blood sugar spikes as well.
“Bitter melon also has its own version of insulin, a chemical called polypeptide-P,” Czerwony said. “Research has shown that polypeptide-P may help regulate and lower blood sugar levels in people with diabetes.”
In one study, patients with type 2 diabetes who took 2,000 milligrams of bitter melon daily for 12 weeks saw their blood sugar levels drop significantly compared to a control group.
Bitter melon is also known for its potential to help lower cholesterol.
Research suggests it may reduce levels of LDL, or “bad” cholesterol, which can cause fatty plaque buildup in the arteries and increase the risk of heart disease.
And if it’s immune-boosting potential wasn’t enough, scientists have found that bitter melon may also inhibit the growth of certain bacteria and viruses.
In lab studies, its pulp and seed extracts have shown promise in fighting a variety of pathogens, including E. coli, salmonella, herpes viruses and malaria parasites.
Bitter melon might even pack a punch against cancer.
One test-tube study found that bitter melon extract effectively killed cancer cells in the stomach, colon, lung and nasopharynx.
Another combined lab and animal study showed it could stop cancer cells in the mouth and tongue from growing, even causing some to die.
“All animal model studies that we’ve conducted are giving us similar results, an approximately 50% reduction in tumor growth,” Dr. Ratna Ray, co-author of the study, told Medical News Today.
“Our next step is to conduct a pilot study in [people with cancer] to see if bitter melon has clinical benefits and is a promising additional therapy to current treatments,” she added.
But before you start loading up on bitter melon, be warned: too much can trigger some unpleasant side effects, including headaches, dizziness, abdominal pain, indigestion, bloating and diarrhea.
If you’re thinking about taking bitter melon supplements, experts recommend checking with your doctor first, since they can interfere with certain medications and health conditions.
Pregnant women are also generally advised to steer clear. While more research is needed, some animal studies suggest bitter melon may increase the risk of miscarriage and birth defects.
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