Introduction

Baobab fruit grows on the baobab tree, which resides in Australia, South Africa and Madagascar. This fruit has green skin and a pale yellow inner flesh which contains seeds.

Well-known for its great health benefits, this fruit also has a sweet and fresh citrus taste and has a similar taste to tangy sweets. This fruit has some great health benefits which can aid in reducing inflammation, and maintaining healthy blood sugar levels whilst also being packed with vitamins and minerals to keep you healthy.

This fruit has vitamins B and C, plenty of antioxidants and is also high in protein and fibre which makes this fruit a great choice to improve your health. The flesh of the fruit along with the leaves and seeds can be consumed and is commonly changed into powder and included in teas, and health powders as well as being enjoyed on its own.

The immune system is a crucial part of your body’s defence system and helps to kill any invading pathogens. The immune system even can kill cancerous cells which makes maintaining the health of your immune system crucial for keeping you healthy. There are many components of the immune system which work together to keep you healthy, and your diet and lifestyle have a huge impact on this.

Foods rich in vitamins, minerals and antioxidants can improve immune cell function, enhancing your response against infections. This article will go into detail about the health benefits of baobab fruit and how this food can boost your immune system which can aid in fighting infections.

Vitamin B

Vitamin B12 needs to come from the foods you eat as it cannot be made within your body like other vitamins such as vitamin D. This makes deficiency in this vitamin more common than others, highlighting the importance of eating a healthy and balanced diet which contains all the vitamins and minerals we need. This vitamin, also known as cobalamin, plays a significant role within the body.

It helps to maintain proper function of your red blood cells, an essential cell that transports oxygen around your body and thus, keeps your tissues and organs fed with nutrients and the oxygen that they need. Due to the central role that this vitamin has, a deficiency can lead to serious health implications and has even been known to lead to Pernicious anaemia, an autoimmune disorder which targets and harms the cells within your gut.

It has also been found that a lack of vitamin B12 has been linked to an increased risk of infections, including viral infections, which can be detrimental to your immune system and health. This is because low vitamin B12 levels decrease the efficiency of your immune response by having a direct impact on your immune cells.^1,2

Vitamin B2, or riboflavin, also has profound effects on your immune response. This has powerful antioxidative properties which can help reduce cellular damage in your body and lower chronic inflammation. Antioxidants help to neutralise harmful agents called free radicals which can cause serious cellular damage, and if left unchecked, this damage can develop into DNA mutations and uncontrolled cell growth.³

Vitamin C

Vitamin C is a well-known vitamin for its antioxidative properties along with its ability to drive a strong immune response. Antioxidants are crucial as they help to neutralise free radicals which are harmful agents which can be produced through normal cell metabolism or exposure to certain environmental agents such as sun damage or pollution. By consuming baobab fruit, which contains high levels of antioxidants, you can help reduce the cellular damage that free radicals do.

Despite vitamin C being very important at boosting the immune response, levels of this vitamin can deplete when you have an active infection. This highlights the importance of making sure you are maintaining vitamin C levels, which can be done by adding baobab fruit to your diet.

A successful immune response relies on the efficient activation, proliferation, and migration of your immune cells from their current location to the site of infection. Vitamin C is known to activate many different immune cells which can target a wide range of infections as well as help your immune cells migrate to the site of infection.

This can help to eradicate the infection as quickly as possible. Consuming enough vitamin C can be great for your immune response and it has been found to improve your immune cell function whilst also helping them to travel to the site of infection more efficiently, making your immune response much stronger.

Polyphenols: quercetin, catechins and anthocyanins

Quercetin is an antioxidative agent which has amazing benefits within the body. Quercetin can halt the production of free radicals by inhibiting the first stage of the synthesis process.

Furthermore, quercetin has been an attractive compound for those who suffer from allergic responses such as hay fever or dust reactivity. This is due to its ability to prevent the activation of mast cells and basophils, immune cells that are crucial in an allergic response.

Mast cells, once activated, will undergo a process called degranulation by which they will release pro-inflammatory chemicals such as histamine. Histamine is a well-known agent, treated with antihistamines, which causes your blood vessels to go leaky to bring in more immune cells and increase inflammation.⁴

Catechins are strong antioxidative agents which capture and neutralise free radicals, which can be generated through many different ways such as sun damage and can create widespread cellular damage. If the levels of free radicals within your body are not kept under check, the cellular damage caused by the free radicals can escalate to DNA mutations and the generation of rapid cell growth, potentially inducing the growth of a tumour.⁵

Anthocyanins, similar to quercetin and catechins, have strong antioxidative properties and can prevent DNA damage caused by free radicals which can have immune-boosting effects as well as anti-cancer effects.

Overall, polyphenols have an amazing impact on your body which can have a knock-on impact on your immune system. By consuming adequate levels of antioxidants, the level of free radicals can decrease, reducing the level of cellular damage. When less cellular damage is occurring throughout your body, the immune system can be less active and this will lower the level of inflammatory signals being sent out.

Free radicals can boost your immune system through reducing hypersensitivity and allergic responses and by doing so, the excessive levels of inflammation can be reduced. Decreased levels of inflammation are not only great for your health and wellbeing, but they can also be great for your longevity and improving your quality of life.

Baobab fruit and a healthy lifestyle

Making sure you keep a healthy lifestyle is paramount to your health and wellbeing. Moderate levels of exercise have an amazing impact on the immune system and it has also been found that increasing your body’s core temperature can help eradicate any viral or bacterial infections that you may have.⁶ However, don’t overdo it as exercising over long periods can activate the immune system more and do more bad than good. 

By adding in certain foods and superfoods, you can give your body the proper tools to maintain brilliant health. This can be done through making sure you are getting adequate sleep, exercising regularly and consuming foods such as baobab fruit. By consuming these foods, levels of healthy compounds such as antioxidants will be kept up and will be able to protect you from these harmful agents.

Adding baobab fruit into the diet can be done easily and there are many foods on the marker to which baobab fruit is added. Commonly, baobab fruit is added to drinks such as herbal or peppermint teas which can be a delicious way to consume this fruit.

Occasionally, baobab fruit is transformed into a powder which makes adding this to recipes such as smoothies, juices, home-baking, porridge or other breakfast dishes and even just adding to water. With its sweet and citrus-like taste, just adding water can taste delicious and make drinking water more enjoyable. Additionally, baobab fruit can help reduce sugar spikes with its high fibre content, which is great for those with diabetes.

Summary

Baobab fruit is packed with essential nutrients for a healthy and balanced diet. With antioxidants and vitamins B and C, baobab fruit is a great source of nutrients which prevent cellular damage, boost the immune system and help to reduce inflammation.

Baobab fruit has also been shown to help eradicate allergic responses within your body, which can be great for those who suffer from allergies such as hay fever or dust allergy.

Being high in fibre, baobab fruit can help to manage blood sugar spikes which can be a great choice of fruit for those with metabolic disorders such as diabetes.

Baobab fruit can be easily added into the diet. Very sweet and zingy in flavour, it can be easily added to water for a refreshing drink that is packed with nutrients.