Pineapple is a potent tropical fruit loaded with good-tasting and brightly-colored features. Science has studied these curious fruits with a deep curiosity to better understand the many health benefits of pineapple. They are rich in phenols, contain the leaky gut healing enzyme bromelain, some of the powerful natural anti-inflammatory foods compounds, and is regarded as one of the most powerful natural anti-inflammatory foods. Learning more about what this fair-weather fruit has to offer may help you better control your natural balance.

The Root of All Health

Hippocrates once said that the root of all disease can be traced back to the gut. Modern science is now starting to better understand just how intimately involved gut health is with overall health. Our digestive tract is rich with good and bad  bacteria of all sorts, and the balance between them can be strong indicators of overall health. For example, a recent study found that those with IBS symptoms had 50% less of certain gut bacteria than those without symptoms. We’ve fallen into a rut of belief that bacteria are bad—necessitating avoidance at all cost. The truth is that bacteria are our most stringent allies in the battle for good health. A strong adherance to maintaining an environment in our digestive tracts to foster the life of ‘good’ bacteria may be the best universal approach to finding better health. Pineapple is loaded with many natural compounds that help maintain this delicate balance, and to chew up some of the bad stuff. The powerful anti-oxidants found in pineapple, along with it’s dense mineral profile can also work to heal existing damage to the intestinal lining.

Powerful Nutritional Profile

A study of 26 different varieties of Chinese-sourced pineapples found much insight into the general nutritional complex to be expected. Speaking of mineral content alone, Pineapple was found to be a tremendous source of Potassium, Zinc, Manganese, and Copper. These minerals are all considered essential nutrients for the human body, and are foundational elements for resilient health. ¹ Researchers found, on average, for every kilogram of pineapple you eat (roughly an entire pineapple) you ingest 1328 mg of Potassium, 60mg of Iron, 9mg of Zinc, 91mg of Manganese, and 7mg of copper.  The recommended daily allowance (RDA) for copper is roughly 1.5mg ², which means that an average pineapple contains nearly 500% of recommended daily copper! You certainly wouldn’t want to make it a habit of eating an entire pineapple everyday, but you could certainly offset some supplement use by introducing it in sparing amounts to your meals. All things in moderation—an insight that is most critical to maintaining natural balance.

Minerals aren’t the only noteworthy ingredients of a pineapple, and the many phenols, natural acids, and powerful enzymes are what really give it gusto. Bromelain is a tremendously powerful natural enzyme that has demonstrated advanced proteolytic action. It is found in highest density within the pineapple stem, which makes it a cheap by-product of commercial pineapple production. Bromelain has shown the ability to dramatically reduce the damaging effects of inflammation on the intestinal tract in animal studies ³ and has shown the ability to help treat Candida overgrowth in human studies ⁴ Both inflammatory responses and un-checked bacterial growth, such as Candida, are thought to play a role in what is known as Leaky Gut Syndrome. This condition is characterized by the intestinal walls allowing un-digested food particles into the blood stream, which cause any number of problems. Modern diets rich in carbohydrates and sugar, as well as excessive use of antibiotics, are thought to play a role in this condition’s manifestation. Pineapples many natural compounds may help treat this condition, as well as many other health concerns.

Many Health Benefits

Many of the health benefits of pineapple are still being understood, and research is ongoing. Much of the benefits associated with pineapples are considered to be indirect—meaning that research has proven certain compounds are powerful, and we know these compounds are in pineapples. It’s not a hard series of dots to connect, but still leaves a certain degree of uncertainty floating about. Among the chief health benefits of pineapple are those associated with it’s antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. These two beneficial actions are thought to be largely associated with it’s phenolic profile, and the presence of natural bromelain enzymes. Research has investigated many applications where these types of compounds may be critically-beneficial, and below you’ll find an outline of some of the most-noteworthy.

Reduces Inflammation

Inflammation occurs for any number of reasons, and has several driving factors associated with how it causes damage to tissue. One of these nasty little methods is through proinflammatory molecules known as cytokines. In one animal study, researchers found that oral supplementation with fresh pineapple juice was able to reduce the overall activity of these dangerous molecules ³. Additionally, this study found that the fresh pineapple juice was also able to reduce leukocyte activity around sites of inflammatory response as well. This study concluded that the long-term use of bromelain-containing pineapple juice may help to reduce the damage associate with, and reduce the symptoms of—irritable bowel syndrome.

Boost Immune System

Bromelain has been shown to possess powerful immune system stimulating properties, making pineapple a potent natural immune booster. One study that investigated bromelains specific action on immune cells found it able to modulate the responses of both T & B immune cells ⁶ This work was completed in an effort to better understand the powerful actions of bromelain which have been demonstrated before, but on a deep enough level to consider bromelain as a standard medical treatment. The growing disdain for extorted pharmaceutical recommendations over natural balance-oriented health treatments has been surging in recent years. These types of clinical investigations may hold the answers for providing better healthcare for everyone without the reliance on expensive drugs with dangerous side effects.

Natural Candida Treatment

Again tracing the benefits of pineapple to the powerful bromelain enzyme—researchers found that pineapple extracts are able to stimulate immune responses associated with Candida albicans. This study measured the intensity and timing of several immunological responses done to the Candida Albicans fungus using bromelain and trypsin as a reagent ⁷. This study was conducted on healthy individuals for controlled response assays, and used several volunteers suffering from a rare genetic disorder known as X-Linked Agammaglobulinemia, which basically affects the body’s ability to fight off infections like Candida. While the struggle for suffers of this disorder must be immense, their circumstance is ideal to measure attempts at boosting immunological responses. Researchers found bromeilain to be quite effective in the treatment of Candida, making it an attractive natural treatment for those suffereing from Candida overgrowth.

Supplements

Pineapple is loaded with powerful immune-boosting and gut healing compounds capable of helping to restore, rejuvenate, and maintain a healthy balance within our body. Pineapples aren’t natively grown in many parts of the world, and aren’t available on a year-round basis in many cases either. The interconnectivity of modern supply lines allows for semi-decent access to these tropical fruits in grocery stores. Even with easy access though, therapeutic levels of it’s healing compounds can be hard to get from eating raw pineapple alone. For those without a source of fresh pineapple, or those looking to have access to higher density sources of bromelain—there are several supplements which offer a solution. Below you’ll find a short list of some of the supplements we’ve found to be most effective in treating symptoms of IBS, Candida Infection, and other Proteolytic-type issues. These supplements may not limit their ingredients to just those found in pineapple alone—but pay close attention to the labels for the overall bromelain content.

Final Considerations

Pineapple is a powerful natural fruit loaded with natural antioxidants and enzymes such as bromelain. Research has shown it to be effective in the treatment of many health conditions, as well as providing powerful general immune system support for any number of concerns. Fresh pineapple juice is a great source of these compounds, though it may not offer large enough amounts for some therapeutic uses, such as treating Candida infections or Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS). For these purposes there are several supplements available which contain more suitable amounts of these types of compounds. Modern research is slowly learning that our health is deeply dependent on the health of our gut. Constant inflammation and the disruption of gut microbiota balances can cause us to begin a vicious cycle of damaging health effects. Natural foods like pineapple, as well as supplements like bromelain and bovine colostrum offer us invaluable tools in the struggle to restore our balance. Taking this information into account when planning your diets and health protocols may offer you a tremendous advantage.