Lychee: Benefits, Calories, Nutrition Facts, Side Effects

Crimson on the outside, soft and sweet on the inside, lychee is a delicious summer fruit and has immense health benefits. This fruit has been around for more than 2000 years, and has been known for its medicinal properties in countries like China and India - both countries are also the world’s largest lychee producers. While you might know just when and how to buy the best lychees from the market, do you know exactly why it’s beneficial for your health? Here’s everything you need to know about this fruit.

Lychee trees are slow growing and strong evergreen trees, even though the fruits only grow during the summer months. The fruits usually grow in clusters and are usually round or heart-shaped with a thin, leathery skin which is red or crimson in colour. The fleshy edible portion of the fruit is called aril and its colour, fragrance and flavour varies from region to region. Lychee trees which have the smallest seeds are usually prized because the amount of aril in these fruits is the highest.

Did you know?

Lychee is extensively mentioned in Chinese medicinal texts, and was immensely popular with this country's population, even the emperors. Folklore from China describes how the demand for the fruit had increased exponentially in the Imperial Court during the eleventh century, specifically during the reign of Emperor Xuanxong. This emperor’s favourite concubine, Yang Guifei, loved lychees so much that the ruler went to great lengths and expense to get the fruit transported from Guangdong while it was still fresh.

Some basic facts about lychees:

Botanical name: Litchi chinensis
Family: Sapindaceae
Common name: Lychee, litchi
Sanskrit name: Elaaphalam
Parts used: Pulp, seed extracts, peel extracts
Native region and geographical distribution: Lychee’s growth and development needs highly specific climatic requirements. It originated in the Guangdong region of southern China. Currently, China and India make up for 91% of the world’s lychee production. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization, India annually produces 428,900 metric tonnes of lychees from 56,200 hectares of land, with Bihar as the largest producer followed by Tripura and Uttar Pradesh.
Interesting facts: Lychees arrived in India in the eighteenth century through Burma, and agriculture of lychees started soon after that.

Lychee nutrition facts
Health benefits of lychee
Side effects of lychee
Takeaway

Lychee nutrition facts

According to the National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference of the USDA (United States Department of Agriculture), the nutritional value of fresh lychee fruit is as follows:

CALORIES	66 kcal/100 g
MACROCOMPONENTS	(g/100 g)
Carbohydrates	16.53
Lipid	0.44
Protein	0.83
Dietary fiber	1.30
Water	81.76
MICROCOMPONENTS
Total carotenoid content (μg beta-carotene equivalent/100 g)	571.4 ± 117.2
Vitamin C content (mg ascorbic acid equivalent/100 g)	10.1 ± 2.2
Total polyphenol content (mg gallic acid equivalent/100 g)	178.0 ± 34.7
Total flavonoid content (mg quercetin equivalent/100 g)	53.3 ± 5.9

Health benefits of lychee

Don’t let the nutritional components of lychee mislead you into thinking that eating this fruit will lead to weight gain or diabetes. Instead, many studies have proved that lychees have medicinal properties that can benefit you immensely. Here are some of the benefits of eating lychees.

Lychee as a source of antioxidants

Lychee has a high concentration of phenolic compounds, polyphenols and flavonoids, and therefore has great antioxidant properties. This is especially true of the lychee varieties grown in the eastern parts of India. These antioxidant properties can neutralize the effects of harmful free radicals, which can in turn help with the following:

Reduce the risk of high blood sugar, thereby reducing the risk of contracting Type 2 Diabetes
Reduce platelet aggregation, which can reduce the risk of blood clotting, thrombosis, pulmonary embolism and stroke
Improve the growth of healthy gut bacteria and therefore aid digestion
Can help fight degenerative diseases like arthritis
Can improve heart health and reduce the risks of coronary diseases
Can improve skin and hair conditions

Lychees reduce inflammation

The high concentration of flavonoids in lychees, particularly monomers, dimers and trimers, can suppress inflammation and stop tissue damage. Not only does this help with recovery from high-intensity exercise training in athletes, but also helps prevent coronary diseases and has the potential to aid the fight against human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Further, the anti-inflammatory properties of flavonoids can also protect you from liver diseases and injuries due to its hepatoprotective agents.

Lychee reduce cancer risk

Lychee has high nutraceutical properties, and can therefore help alleviate the symptoms of chronic diseases. The high percentage of bioactive polysaccharides in lychee pulp also have antitumour and immunomodulatory effects. Some studies even show that when dried, the anti-cancerous properties of lychee pulp are increased manifold, and can even help treat diseases like asthma by protecting the lungs. What’s more, extracts derived from lychee peel and seeds have also shown to be effective nutraceuticals. So not just the pulp, but every part of the lychee fruit is suffused with medicinal properties that can help you fight cancer.

Lychee improves cognitive function

A study published in the International Journal of Molecular Medicine in 2018 shows that lychees, especially extracts derived from the seeds, can protect against neuronal injuries and improve cognitive function. The lychee seed extracts or LSE can improve learning and memory abilities, while the saponin concentration in LSE also has anti-diabetic properties, and when combined, all of these compounds can help reduce the risk of diseases like Alzheimer’s.

Lychees for weight loss

The high potassium and vitamin C concentration in lychees help maintain the electrolyte balance and reduce oxidative stress. The high water content and low calorie count of lychees can actually help you lose weight the healthy way. This means that the phytonutrients in this sweet and pulpy fruit can keep your skin glowing, improve bone strength and aid weight loss while also giving your immune system an overall boost.

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Side effects of lychee

Despite all these benefits, overindulgence in lychees can be counterproductive too. In 2014, nearly 200 children died in Bihar’s Muzaffarpur (one of the most popular areas of lychee production), and a Lancet study led by Indian researchers found that these deaths were caused by acute encephalopathy due to the over-consumption of lychees on an empty stomach. The research recommended that lychee consumption should be controlled and always be a supplemental source of nutrition (instead of making for a meal in the absence of other food items).

Takeaway

Lychees are a sweet summer fruit variety which are famed for their medicinal properties and health benefits. Though mostly consisting of water and glucose-based carbohydrates, lychees have vitamin C and are a rich source of antioxidants. Eating lychees while they are in season will benefit you immensely, but you have to eat this fruit in moderation and in conjunction with proper meals to avoid the chances of contracting encephalitis.