What Happens To Your Body If You Drink Pineapple Water For A Year?

What Happens To Your Body If You Drink Pineapple Water For A Year?. Graphic © herbshealthhappiness.com. Photo Pixabay (PD)

Pineapples have been a point of argument when in a conversation about pizza, but this fruit sure packs a punch in the nutrition department. Alone, pineapple can taste amazing – perfect if you’re making a fresh fruit shake or making a pineapple-upside down cake. But have you ever heard of pineapple water? Putting herbs and vegetables like mint and cucumber in drinking water is very popular if you need an instant refresher but pineapple is definitely a more flavorful and more nutritious additive if you want to give your water a boost. Here are some health benefits of pineapple that have been reported by scientific research:

1. Pineapple Helps Fight Bowel Inflammation

In a 2010 study by Hale, et. al. in the Inflammatory Bowel Diseases journal, fresh pineapple juice was found to reduce chronic inflammation in test subjects affected by inflammatory bowel disease of the colon. Not only was dietary supplementation with pineapple able to significantly reduce inflammation, it was also able to reduce changes in colonic tissue, a characteristic of cancerous growths (since repeated inflammation can cause abnormal growth of tissues). This reduction in inflammation was attributed by the researchers to an enzyme called Bromelain, found in the pineapple stem. ^[1]

2. Pineapple Contains Enzymes That Aid Digestion

The same enzyme, Bromelain, that helps with inflammation also helps with digestion. If you want to improve your digestion (and help with weight loss in the long run), why not turn to pineapple water? Simsek, et. al. in 2013 found that drinking pineapple juice was able to improve stomach emptying of undigested food in the stomach. The study was done on test subjects who underwent a surgical procedure that required eight hours of fasting beforehand. After drinking one liter of pineapple juice each day for three days, there were no remnants of undigested food seen in the stomach after the endoscopic procedure. This not only helps with stomach emptying but also with nutritional absorption from food. ^[2]

3. Pineapple May Help With Parasites

While this fact may still need more research, a study in 2013 by Domingues, et. al. found that pineapple extracts could potentially help with parasitic infections by Hoemenchus contortus, also known as barber pole worms. The study focused on sheep infested with this parasite and found that the aqueous extract of pineapple and bromelain were able to exhibit anti-parasitic activity in vitro compared to in vivo. The effectiveness of pineapples on human parasite infections still needs further study but there is no denying that the fruit has potential to do so. ^[3]

4. Pineapple Helps With Arthritis

Because pineapples have been proven to have strong anti-inflammatory properties, a study has focused on how they can help with inflammation due to rheumatoid arthritis. A recent publication in 2016 by Kargutkar and Brijesh concluded that oral intake of pineapple extract significantly showed anti-rheumatic activity in the test subjects, reducing swelling and arthritic markers from the liver, kidney, and spleen. Rheumatoid arthritis is a debilitating condition that affects the joints and synovial tissue, which greatly impairs mobility and posture. ^[4]

5. Pineapple Helps Fight Cancer

Out of all the benefits of pineapples, this is probably the most important. Bromelain, the do-it-all enzyme from pineapples, has been found to possess anti-inflammatory, anti-thrombotic, and fibrinolytic properties — properties that when you add up are anti-cancer. Chobotova, Vernallis, and Majid in 2010 focused on different studies on bromelain and found that it acts systematically against cancer cells, able to modulate malignant pathways that lead to cancer. Again, while further studies are needed to cement pineapples’ place in anti-cancer therapy, this fruit looks very promising indeed. ^[5]

Why Pineapple Water And Not Juice?

Pineapple juice is known to be very acidic and taking it on an empty stomach can undoubtedly lead to ulcers or stomach irritation. The best way to drink pineapples every day is to soak cut up slices or cubes in water overnight (in glass jars or containers! Pineapples can erode plastic or metal) and have a glass early in the morning when you wake up. You can even add other herbs like mint to improve the taste to your liking. Try drinking a glass of pineapple water daily for a few months or a whole year and watch your health improve!