Introduction

“A strong heart is the foundation of a strong life.” (Compass)

Blood is the vehicle for most substances, such as nutrients, enzymes and hormones, that your body ingests, uses or excretes. Your heart needs to be healthy to properly pump this blood that will supply all the parts of your body with the substances you need. When something goes wrong with the heart, it may impair its function. 

Heart-healthy nutrition is vital to maintaining a healthy heart at all stages of life. A heart-healthy diet will help reduce your risk of high blood pressure (hypertension) and other heart problems. 

Langsat fruits are a good source of heart-friendly nutrients like potassium, calcium, dietary fibre and antioxidants. Read on to discover how eating langsat fruits benefits your cardiovascular health.

Nutritional profile of langsat

Langsat, scientifically called Lansium domesticum, is a tropical fruit with many varieties mainly grown in Southeast Asia. Some popular varieties are langsat or lanzone, duku, duku-langsat and dokong or longkong. It has a thin, yellowish to brownish skin and translucent, juicy segments inside. It has a sweet-sour taste – imagine yourself eating a combination of grapes and grapefruit.¹ 

Traditionally, langsat has been used for medicinal purposes in Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines for a long time. Langsat is an excellent source of heart-friendly nutrients like potassium, calcium, dietary fibre, vitamins and antioxidants.¹ 

Benefits of langsat for heart health

Langsat fruit has trace amounts of fat and an abundance of nutrients that are good for your health.

Langsat helps to lower blood pressure through potassium

Potassium is a crucial nutrient in maintaining normal blood pressure. Potassium lowers blood pressure in people with hypertension, which is a significant risk of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) like heart attack, stroke and heart failure.²

Too much sodium in your body can increase your blood pressure.³ Potassium balances your sodium levels by making you remove more sodium from your body. It also works to relax the walls of your blood vessels, like arteries and veins. These actions help keep your blood pressure in a normal range or lower it if you have high blood pressure.⁴ Langsat is an excellent source of potassium. A 100g of the longkong variety has 275mg of potassium.¹ 

Calcium helps maintain good cardiovascular health 

As blood vessels carry blood to and from your heart, they contract and relax. This contraction and relaxation is made possible with calcium. Calcium is also essential for muscle function, including the heart, which is a muscle. Having enough calcium in your diet may help reduce the risk of preeclampsia during pregnancy and CVDs.⁵ You can get good amounts of calcium from all the varieties of langsat. 

Iron supports heart health

Myoglobin is the twin brother of haemoglobin. Like haemoglobin, myoglobin contains iron, which enables it to carry oxygen.⁶ But unlike its twin, it stores oxygen and is found in your muscles. It supplies oxygen to your muscles, including your heart muscles, especially when breathing is paused. Also, you need iron to form haemoglobin, which provides oxygen to your entire body system, including your heart and its vessels. You can incorporate langsat into your diet to get more iron.

Dietary fibre helps to manage cholesterol

Langsat fruits can add a good amount of dietary fibre to your diet. A 2019 study found that people who consumed higher dietary fibre had lower body weight, blood pressure and total cholesterol levels and a reduced risk of having coronary heart disease, stroke and type 2 diabetes.⁷ According to Harvard Health, dietary fibre (soluble dietary fibre) is a good carbohydrate because it stops your blood sugars from rising and lowers your cholesterol levels by slowing down digestion and reducing the amount of fat your body absorbs from your food. Therefore, dietary fibre decreases your risk of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases.

Vitamins B1, B2 and C in langsat may help protect your heart

Thiamine (vitamin B1) deficiency can cause an enlarged heart. Research suggests that vitamin B1 deficiency may be linked with heart failure.⁸ Vitamin B2, also known as Riboflavin, plays a role in maintaining homocysteine levels within normal limits.⁹ According to MedlinePlus, elevated levels of homocysteine in your blood can damage your arteries, cause blood clots and increase your risk of cardiovascular diseases. 

Vitamin C helps your body absorb more iron from plant-based food. Working as an antioxidant, it helps to prevent oxidative damage to body tissues and also regenerates other antioxidants. Vitamin C can also help to prevent plaque rupture in atherosclerosis. These actions may help protect your heart against damage and reduce your risk of cardiovascular diseases.¹⁰

Antioxidants in langsat and their contribution to cardiovascular health

Langsat contains loads of heart-friendly antioxidant compounds like polyphenols. Research indicates that antioxidants may help protect the heart against damage and disease. Antioxidants scavenge free radicals, which cause oxidative stress. Oxidative stress can lead to the onset of cardiovascular diseases like atherosclerosis and heart failure.^11,12 

Polyphenols in langsat and their potential impact on heart function

Research indicates that the actions of polyphenols promote good heart health and could prevent cardiovascular diseases. Apart from their antioxidant function, polyphenols help to reduce inflammation of the heart muscle, blood pressure and cholesterol, prevent blood clots, restrict cell division and angiogenesis and protect the heart muscle.¹³ 

Incorporating langsat fruit into a heart-healthy diet

You can add langsat fruit to a healthy and varied balanced diet, which is good for your heart and overall wellness. It's mostly eaten raw. You peel off the skin and eat the juicy inner segments minus the seeds. Since it's juicy, you can also make langsat fruit juice. You can also add it to your salads. Sub-Tropical Fruit Club of Qld Inc. advises never to eat more than 2-5 langsat fruits on an empty stomach because langsat is an acidic fruit. 

Potential risks of consuming langsat

There's no published evidence of langsat allergy. However, it's still advisable to use caution when trying langsat for the first time, especially if you have other fruit allergies. 

FAQs

How do you choose a ripe langsat?

Ripe langsat fruits have a sweet aroma. Look for a langsat fruit with a bright and uniform colour. The skin should be firm but yield to gentle pressure.¹⁴

How should langsat be stored?

Langsat can be stored at 11-14°C and duku at 10°C for 2 weeks.¹⁵

Summary 

Your heart deserves all the care you can give it. Eating a heart-healthy diet is one way to take good care of it. Because langsat fruit contains nutrients like potassium, calcium, dietary fibre and antioxidant compounds that can keep your heart strong and healthy, you should consider adding it to your diet.

Although langsat is good for your health, you should consume it in moderation. If you have known allergies or sensitivities, it's advisable to consult a healthcare professional before you consume langsat to ensure you are not allergic to it.