Add mangoes to growing list of fruits that contain compounds that hold great potential as antioxidant and anti-cancer agents.

New research out of Texas A&M University has found mangoes are packed with polyphenolic compounds — including gallic acid and gallotannins, which have anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory properties — as well as vitamin C and beta carotene.

In a study published in the journal of Molecular Nutrition & Food Research, the Texas scientists tracked 11 healthy volunteers between the ages of 21 and 38 years old who consumed 400 grams of mango-pulp every day for 10 days.

"In order to demine if these polyphenolic compounds have potential benefits to human health at realistic food consumption amounts, it was first necessary to study how these compounds are metabolized in the body," said lead researcher Susanne Mertens-Talcott, of the Department of Nutrition and Food Science, Texas A&M University.

The researchers found the presence of gallic acid and pyrogallol metabolites in the participants’ urine after consuming the mango pulp — “confirming the bioavailability” of the compounds.

"The results of this research show that mango has the potential to enhance the diet as a source of gallic acid and gallotannins which may possess anti-inflammatory and anti-carcinogenic properties," said Dr. Mertens-Talcott.