Mango Intake and Gut and Cardiometabolic Health in Hispanic/Latino Adolescents

Mangos contain a number of nutrients that may improve gut and metabolic health. The purpose of this research is to see how eating mangos every day for 4 weeks instead of snacks high in calories and low in nutrients such as cookies, crackers, chips, and candy can impact adolescent health.

This study will record the functional and metabolic effects of daily mango intake, incorporated into the habitual diets of Hispanic/Latino adolescent children. This racial group is considered the most significant minority in the US, accounting for 19.1% of the population. The proposed study design allows for comparing baseline metabolic and physiological function to the real-world situation of adding a new snack food to a child in the major minority group in the US habitual diet. Moreover, the study design will allow the assessment of dietary changes in an understudied population at increased cardiovascular risk due to the high prevalence of overweight and obesity. Collectively, these analyses will help identify the complex relationships of mango-derived nutrients and microbial metabolites to physiologic response.

Twenty-five (12-19 years of age) adolescents will be enrolled in a randomized, controlled 2-arm crossover dietary intervention trial. Participants will be randomized to consume either ¾ cups of mango or continue their habitual diet for 4 weeks, followed by a 4-week washout period before crossing over to the alternate group. The mango flesh will be cut into uniform chunks (2-3 cm) and portioned into individual servings that can be consumed either as-is or blended into a smoothie.