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African mango

The African mango, also known as the bush mango or Irvingia, is native to Africa and Southeast Asia. The trees themselves are prized for their mango-like fruit as well as their nuts, which are rich in fats and proteins. In recent years, the African mango has been credited with some fat loss and weight loss benefits.

Where does the African mango come from?

As already mentioned, the African mango originates from Africa and Southeast Asia. Currently, extracts from the seeds of the African mango are the preferred way to consume the ingredients of this fruit, as this dosage form provides a more concentrated portion of the functional compounds.

Benefits of African mango

An early study (1) was able to show that African mango could reduce body weight, but this study also showed that this was not the result of fat mass loss. However, the scientists were not able to identify where the observed weight loss came from.

In a later study conducted in 2009 (2), the scientists were able to show that the use of an extract from African mango seeds did result in fat loss. A 6.3% reduction in body fat was observed in overweight subjects who took 150 mg of the extract, while only a 1.9% reduction in body fat was observed in members of the placebo group. These results were observed without any intervention or change in diet or physical activity.

The study participants who took the African mango extract also showed improvements in total cholesterol levels, HDL cholesterol levels and levels of the so-called "hunger hormones". Another study (3) was able to show that a combination of Cissus Quandrangularis and African mango resulted in better results in terms of body fat and cholesterol levels than Cissus Quandrangularis.

Benefits of African mango for bodybuilders

Due to the benefits mentioned above, African mango extract could be used during a diet and/or definition phase to reduce body fat.

Drawbacks and side effects

A recent study (4) has shown that African mango extract is safe and well tolerated when used in doses of up to 2,500 mg per kilogram of body weight per day. No undesirable side effects of such an extract were observed.

Recommended intake

Due to the lack of studies, there is no consensus on how much extract is needed to achieve the desired effects. However, the study mentioned above suggests that 300 mg of extract per day divided into two single doses appears to be sufficient to observe positive effects on fat mass and weight. The participants in this study took two 150 mg capsules of African mango extract between 30 and 60 minutes before lunch and dinner.

Supplements

Although there are mono supplements on the market that contain African mango extract as a single ingredient, this extract is often combined with other fat loss ingredients such as raspberry ketones in specialized fat loss supplements or fat loss protein products.

Combinations with other supplements

You can combine African mango extract with any other specialized fat loss product, and some of these products will already contain this ingredient. African mango extract can be combined well with other fat loss ingredients such as Raspberry Ketones, L-Carnitine or Cissus Quadrangularis.

References

  1. Ngondi JL, Oben JE, Minka SR. 'The effect of Irvingia gabonensis seeds on body weight and blood lipids of obese subjects in Cameroon.' Lipids Health Dis. 2005 May 25;4:12.
  2. Ngondi JL, Etoundi BC, Nyangono CB, Mbofung CM, Oben JE. 'IGOB131, a novel seed extract of the West African plant Irvingia gabonensis, significantly reduces body weight and improves metabolic parameters in overweight humans in a randomized double-blind placebo controlled investigation.' Lipids Health Dis. 2009 Mar 2;8:7.
  3. Oben JE, Ngondi JL, Momo CN, Agbor GA, Sobgui CS. 'The use of a Cissus quadrangularis/Irvingia gabonensis combination in the management of weight loss: a double-blind placebo-controlled study.' Lipids Health Dis. 2008 Mar 31;7:12.
  4. Kothari SC, Shivarudraiah P, Venkataramaiah SB, Gavara S, Soni MG. 'Subchronic toxicity and mutagenicity/genotoxicity studies of Irvingia gabonensis extract (IGOB131).' Food Chem Toxicol. 2012 May;50(5):1468-79. Epub 2012 Feb 22.