Bitter melon? That sounds like something your grandma tries to throw into her signature meatloaf that gives it that extra granny kick of flavor.(It turns out granny was onto something because some of these bitter melon benefits can help you in many aspects of your health).
Growing at a pace faster than expected, bitter melon is quickly becoming a hot topic around the health and wellness world, because of the AMAZING health benefits it provides.
For the rest of this post, you will learn the 5 most important bitter melon benefits as explained by experts in the health, fitness, and research world.
What is Bitter Melon?
Bitter Melon, or Momordica Charantia, is a fruit that originates in India but is now popular in Africa, Caribbean islands, and parts of Asia. Similar to squashes, melons, and gourds, bitter melon has a very rigid exterior and a fleshy inside.
The majority of the bitter melon benefits comes from the fleshy inside which resembles the inside of a cucumber. Now before you go munching on some bitter melon, taking a straight bite of bitter melon is going to leave your mouth with a very very very bitter taste (shocking right?)
That is why so many people take it in supplement form so they can get the healthy bitter melon benefits without having to endure the bitter taste.
Now that we have a little background of what bitter melon is and where it comes from, it is time to dive into what you really want to know. What can this spiky, green, and bitter fruit do for me?
1. Bitter Melon Lowers Blood Sugar Levels
Dr. Josh Axe, DNM, DC, CNS, a certified doctor for natural medicine (look at all those letters after his name, clearly a smart guy), said this regarding bitter melon benefits,
“Bitter melon has been the focus of well over 100 clinical and observational studies. It’s best known for its hypoglycemic effects (the ability to lower blood sugar), and research shows that the melon’s juice, fruit, and dried powder can all be used to mimic insulin’s effects and treat diabetes.”
Dr. Axe nailed one of the biggest bitter melon benefits right on the head, which is its ability to lower blood sugar by playing the job of insulin.
This is why bitter melon is becoming so popular as a fitness supplement AND a diabetic support. Taking bitter melon supplements is an easy way to help lower your body’s blood sugar level without pricking yourself with a needle constantly.
Some of the ways that bitter melon can further assist those with blood sugar issues are…
- Normalizes blood sugar levels
- Regulates the body’s use of insulin
- Helps convert glucose to energy
- Reduces blood glucose concentrations
What this means for you:
Simply put, bitter melon lowers your blood sugar which can help with your daily fit life and those with blood sugar issues.
2. Bitter Melon Decreases Blood Fat Levels
Joe Cohen, a master of “biohacking” and creator of Selfhacked, said this about a recent study regarding the benefits of bitter melon.
“Diabetic rats which were treated with bitter melon extracts showed a marked decrease in the levels of fat in the blood. The main fats that showed a decrease was cholesterol and triglycerides.”
The bitter melon was shown to reduce the amount of apolipoprotein B and reduce the formation of apolipoprotein C, which is known as “bad” cholesterol. On the other hand, the bitter melon increased the formation of apolipoprotein A-1, which is a major component of “good” cholesterol.”
In simple terms (because scientists have their own secret lingo), the study that was conducted shows that bitter melon kicks your bad fats out and welcomes the good fats into your body.
What this means for you:
- Better body composition
- Increase body’s ability to lose fat
- Easier for your body to build lean muscle
- Better skin and eye health
Sounds nice right? That’s why guzzling down bitter melon supplements are growing in popularity in the health and wellness world!
3. Bitter Melon Reduces Sugar Absorption
Those suffering from the all to common condition “sweet tooth-itis” need to listen up!
When you munch on sugar-filled snacks, the sugar is broken down in your stomach and absorbed into the bloodstream. Once the sugar is absorbed into the bloodstream it is taken to different places in your body and stored as fat.
This is where bitter melon comes in and saves the day. The Journal of Nutrition, from the Oxford Academy, had this to say about sugar absorption and bitter melon.
“BM (bitter melon) has been shown to inhibit glucose absorption, promote hepatic glucose utilization, possess an insulin-like polypeptide and even to increase insulin-positive cell number in the pancreas, the mechanism(s)”
What this means for you:
- Decreased sugar absorption = increase weight loss
- Stable mood and energy levels
- Aid in reducing fat in your muscle tissues
4. Bitter Melon Helps with Weight Loss
If you have ever looked up research regarding anything health related, you would have bumped into the Nation Center for Biotechnology Information (NCB)
They are kind of like the Rocky Balboa of the research world.
They gathered and conducted studies about the health benefits of bitter melon,
“Bitter melon (0.75% of diet) supplementation prevented the body weight gain and visceral fat mass significantly in rats fed high fat diet [R]. This weight reduction may be a result of increased fatty acid oxidation which ultimately facilitates weight reduction [R].
Moreover, the bitter melon extract supplementation reduced the peritoneal fat deposition in rats fed a high fat diet [R]. In another study, bitter melon significantly decreased the weights of epididymal white adipose tissue (WAT), visceral fat, and the adipose leptin and resistin mRNA levels in C57BL/6J mice fed with a high-fat (HF) diet [R].”
That’s a lot of scientific stuff if you ask me. Let’s simplify this 🙂
What this means for you:
- Decrease visceral fat (that pesky fat around your stomach)
- Help halt you gaining unwanted weight and fat
- Increase the breakdown of fatty acids
- An overall weight loss and toning aid
5. Bitter Melon Supports Overall Health
The health benefits that come with every bite of bitter melon (or supplement, because let’s be real the taste of just the fruit could be improved) are incredible and shouldn’t be dismissed.
Over at Livestrong, they talk about some of the say…
“The bitter gourd or melon is a good source of iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, pantothenic acid and vitamin B-6. Bitter melon has 13.4g choline (to cantaloupe’s 11) and at 63g has twice the folate of cantaloupe. Lutein, a crucial component of healthy skin, eyes, nerves, and hair, is at an unbelievable 1,641g (to cantaloupe’s 41).”
That’s just to name a few of the health benefits! Bitter Melon is packed with these vitamins and minerals that support many different functions in the body.
What this means for you:
- Glowing skin and lustrous hair
- Experience a boost in your immune system
- Ease body aches and pains
- Supports eye and nerve health
The Easiest Way to Get These Bitter Melon Benefits
Now, knowing about the benefits of bitter melon is great!
You now know that it can help you manage your blood sugar levels, lower blood fat levels, decrease your sugar absorption, lose weight, and support your overall health BUT all of that doesn’t matter if you don’t experience the benefits for yourself!
That’s why here at Good Supplements we went out and got the purest form of bitter melon and put it into supplement form!
Instead of trying to gnaw on a bitter melon fruit, all you have to do it take 1 capsule a day preferably after a meal for better absorption!
