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| Noni fruit reduces inflammation and cholesterol. |
Noni has had a controversial reputation as a healing agent lately. But it was nevertheless used as a plant medicine for thousands of years by Polynesian peoples.
Scientific research is starting to prove Noni's effectiveness.
Clinical research on noni
Researchers from the University of Illinois College of Medicine have found that Noni juice significantly reduces inflammation and corrects poor cholesterol levels.The researchers gave 132 adults who were heavy smokers either 29.5 or 188 milliliters of Noni (Morinda citrifolia) juice per day for thirty days. Another group drank a placebo. The clinical trial was randomized, double blind and placebo-controlled.
The researchers chose heavy smokers as subjects because heavy smoking has been shown to significantly increase levels of inflammation, increase triglycerides, increase low-density lipoprotein (LDL) levels and reduce HDL-cholesterol. High levels of LDL-c and triglycerides have been associated with greater incidence of artery and heart disease.
Furthermore, these two indicators are easily tested with blood testing. Inflammation was tested by way of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) levels and homocysteine levels.
Smoking and oxidative stress
Smoking causes greater levels of oxidative stress, due to the greater influx of oxidative radicals from the toxins contained in tobacco and cigarettes. One review of research studied 54 clinical trials and found smokers will maintain 3% higher cholesterol levels, 9% higher triglycerides, and almost 6% reduced HDL-cholesterol (the good cholesterol) than non-smokers.According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, cigarette smoke contains over 4,000 chemicals, of which more than 250 have been found to produce disease.
Noni reduces cholesterol and CRP
After the 30 days, those in the Noni groups showed significantly lower levels of inflammation and corrections in their respective cholesterol levels. The hs-CRP levels went down by 15% among the Noni groups. Homocysteine levels decreased by 24% among the Noni group.The triglyceride levels of the noni groups went down from 29% to 41%. The LDL-cholesterol levels of the Noni group went down by 9-28% after the thirty days, and HDL-c levels went up by 49 to 57 mg/dL.
Noni doses similar in effects
Interestingly, the researchers found no significant difference in the results between the Noni group that drank 29 mL versus the group that drank 118 mL per day of Noni. The researchers commented that “this may indicate a possible threshold of antioxidant activity.”This notion of “antioxidant threshold” has been found in other studies, where there is a certain point the phytonutrients seem to reach a point of diminishing returns with increased doses. This is not a surprise to natural health experts, who understand that the body must maintain balance.
The researchers reported that there were no adverse events reported among the Noni consumers.
Thirty days of Noni consumption compared to statins
Consider these results carefully: This is only after thirty days of Noni consumption of as little as 29.5 mL per day, drank on an empty stomach in the morning. Note that 29.5 mL is one ounce.Now compare these results to the kind of reductions seen with statins, which come with significant adverse side effects. Statin use has been shown to increase HDL-c (“good” cholesterol) by as much as 5-15%, decrease triglycerides by up to 7-30% and decrease LDL-c by a range of 18-65% according to multiple-study reviews. The higher levels have been found with significantly higher dosages - such as 80 milligrams a day.
Side effects of statins include liver damage, muscle pain, nausea, diarrhea, constipation, rashes, diabetes, possible memory loss and confusion.
REFERENCES:
Wang MY, Peng L, Weidenbacher-Hoper V, Deng S, Anderson G, West BJ. Noni juice improves serum lipid profiles and other risk markers in cigarette smokers. ScientificWorldJournal. 2012;2012:594657. doi: 10.1100/2012/594657.
National Institutes of Health. Seventh Report of the National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP) Expert Panel on Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Cholesterol in Adults (PDF), July 2004, The National Institutes of Heath: The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.