Last updated: March 3, 2013
Whenever you consider taking a new nutritional supplement like African mango, it’s critical to know if there are any side effects. Even the most effective weight loss drug in the world is useless if you can’t take it because the side effects make you feel so terrible! This article will teach about about African mango side effects so you can make an informed decision for yourself.
African Mango Extract Side Effects
By looking at the evidence from the African mango weight loss medical studies, we can see exactly what side effects people reported when they took 300mg of the extract every day.
In the medical study there were not very many African mango extract side effects reported. The large majority of patients reported no side effects at all.
However, out of 60 people taking the supplement, a small number reported the following side effects:
- 5 people reported having a headache
- 6 people said they had difficulty sleeping
- 6 people experienced some bloating
There were no serious African mango side effects reported by anyone participating in the trial.
When you’re trying to judge how serious the side effects are, it’s important to keep in mind how medical studies are performed.
In the trial in Cameroon there were 120 people. 60 were put in the treatment group and given African mango extract. The other 60 were given a placebo, an empty pill with no medical properties. This is done so that any weight loss in the treatment group can be compared against the placebo group to make sure that it’s actually the African mango causing the weight loss, rather than some other part of the experiment.
When recording side effects, any type of medical complaint experienced during the 10 week trial is included. Obviously, just because someone in the treatment group gets a headache at some point in those ten weeks doesn’t necessarily mean the African mango caused the headache.
One useful way of deciding how serious the side effects are is to compare the side effects in the treatment group to the side effects in the placebo group (and remember, the placebo group isn’t taking any medicine at all!)
In the African mango experiment, people in the placebo group had the same amount of headaches, sleeplessness and bloating as people in the African mango group. It says so right in the study:
Based on this, there isn’t much evidence that African mango has any serious side effects at all! Which makes sense, because after all, people in Cameroon and Nigeria have been eating African mango for thousands of years!
Is African Mango Safe?
Based on the medical evidence and the fact that it has been a popular food in central and Western Africa for countless generations, there’s lots of evidence to say yes, African mango is safe.
However, there are a few exceptions:
- If you are pregnant or nursing, you should avoid African mango.
- If you are taking any other medication, you should consult with your doctor before taking African mango.
- If you are suffering from a serious medical condition, you should also consult with your doctor before you take African mango.
- African mango should only be taken by adults
African Mango Benefits
In addition to weight loss, African mango has been linked to:
- Lower total cholesterol
- Lower LDL (bad) cholesterol
- Lower triglycerides
- Lower fasting blood sugar
- Increased adiponectin levels
Click to return to the African mango homepage! Or head straight to the African mango scam article to find out how to protect yourself from fake or poor quality African mango products.
John is the founder of Supplement SOS. He has written about health and nutrition for a number of high-profile publications. He's particularly interested in the future of sustainable food production and optimizing food products for human health.