The Lucuma (also known as Pouteria Lucuma) is a sweet fruit that is easily recognized by its unique shape and deep yellow flesh. Often said to taste like a combination of maple syrup and sweet potato, this interesting plant has garnered a lot of attention within the health industry of late, where it has been said to have a host of positive effects on health.
It is thought that the Lucuma plant has been consumed by Peruvian natives since 200 AD, where its consumption was said to promote longevity and fertility. Interestingly, the Lucama fruit did not reach the shores of western nations until it was ‘found’ by European explorers in the early 1500’s, during which it gained the nickname the ‘Egg Fruit, due to both its shape and its yolk coloured flesh.
Now, within the modern day health industry, Lucama is used extensively in powder form, where it can be easily added to smoothies and food to enhance their flavor, while also providing a host of positive health effects.
Nutritional Content of Lucuma Powder
Considering the fact that Lucuma powder comes directly from the Lucuma fruit, it is not surprising that it is quite high in carbohydrate content (it contains approximately 85 grams per 100 gram serve) – of which approximately 3 grams is fibre.
With this in mind, I should note that despite its high carbohydrate content, Lucuma Powder actually registers extremely low on the Glycaemic Index (in which it scores a 4… whereas white bread scores 100).
As such, it is absorbed extremely slowly into the bloodstream, providing the body with sustained energy without an associated blood sugar spike. It is actually for this reason (while also considering its sweet flavour) that Lucuma Powder is often used as a sugar replacement.
In conjunction with its energy providing properties, Lucuma Powder is also extremely nutrient dense. In this, it provides the body with a massive 14 different essential trace elements, including large amounts of potassium, sodium, calcium, magnesium, and phosphorous.
As a result, Lucuma Powder can provide us with a number of nutrients that are integral to maintaining optimal health and hormone function, making it an excellent dietary supplement to include in your daily routine.
Health Benefits of Lucuma Powder
By simply taking a look at the nutritional content of Lucuma Powder, we can see that its addition to the diet is likely to benefit our health by increasing our intake of essential nutrients. Interestingly, Lucuma Powder has shown to impact health in a positive manner through a number of additional mechanisms.
Lucuma Powder can improve wound healing and skin health
Arguably the most interesting aspect of the Lucuma Powder is the effect its consumption has been shown to have on the healing of wounds. Specific compounds found within Lucuma Powder have been shown to promote the growth and repair of damaged tissue.
This can have a positive impact on the speed at which these same tissues heal, speeding up recovery time substantially.
Interestingly, this positive effect has also been suggested to have a large influence on skill cells, in which the consumption of Lucuma may lead to skin regeneration [1]. This can cause a substantial improvement in skin quality and skin tightness, while also making our skin less susceptible to sun damage and blemishes.
Lucuma Powder lowers blood sugar
While the premise of this point has already been touched on briefly when discussing the nutritional content of Lucuma Powder, it deserves to be elaborated on as the capacity for Lucuma Powder to lower blood sugar is a huge positive of this supplement.
You see, when we consume food that registers high on the Glycaemic Index (GI for short), we see a rapid spike in blood sugar. This is because the higher a food registers on the GI, the quicker it is broken down and absorbed into the bloodstream [2].
Through the consistent consumption of carbohydrate dense foods that register higher on the GI scale, we begin to see a prolonged elevations in blood sugar. When this occurs, the body becomes quite poor at regulating blood sugar levels, leading to constant elevation and a host of negative health implications as a result.
But, by using Lucuma Powder (which registers a mere 4 on the GI scale) instead of sugar within our diet, we don’t see those same rapid elevations in blood sugar.
This can lead to large reductions in resting blood sugar levels, which can greatly reduce our risk of developing both metabolic diseases (such as diabetes and obesity) and cardiovascular risk factors [3].
As an added bonus, if the body becomes more efficient at regulating blood sugar levels, we may even see some weight loss as a positive side effect.
Lucuma Powder improves eye health
In conjunction with its high content of essential nutrients, Lucuma Powder is also an excellent source of Beta-Carotene. Beta-Carotene is used to provide protection to the most external aspect of the eye, and has also shown to play a role in maintaining optimal eye function.
With this in mind, the supplementation of Beta-Carotene through diet has been shown to improve vision, act as an effective treatment for dry eyes, and can even reduce our risk of developing macular degeneration [4].
As a result, Lucuma Powder provides an excellent way to improve eye health in both the short and long term.
Does Lucuma Powder have any side effects?
Because Lucuma Powder is a relatively new addition to the health and fitness industry, there has actually been very limited research into its prolonged use. As a result, we do not know if there are any side effects associated with its long term consumption.
Despite this, their appears to be no side effects associated with the supplementation of Lucuma Powder in the short term, suggesting it is a perfectly safe option to improve health easily and efficiently.
Take-Away Message
Lucuma Powder is an excellent supplement that has shown to improve blood sugar levels, improve eye health, and even impact skin regeneration in a positive manner.
As an added bonus, due to its sweet flavour and easy consumption, it makes for a perfect sugar substitute, and can be added to literally any meal or smoothie.
Despite not having any long term research, the short term signs are extremely promising, suggesting that Lucuma Power makes for an excellent addition to the diet for those looking to improve health in a very simple manner.