Papaya contains moderate amounts of sugar. An 1-cup serving of papaya fruit has 11 g of sugars. Dried and canned papaya, as well as papaya juice, contain much more sugar!
Sugar & health
Excessive sugar consumption may be bad for health. It has been linked to obesity, type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome, inflammatory diseases, and cardiovascular disease. Also, too much sugar may lead to fat accumulation in the liver, decreased insulin sensitivity, increased uric acid and high cholesterol.[1]
How much sugar can we consume in a day?
We shouldn’t consume more than 25 g of added sugar a day. But, as sugar is added to sodas, sweets, and most processed products, people who follow the standard American diet probably consume much more.[2,3]
Most noteworthy, cutting down sugar isn’t easy. Sugar interferes with the reward system of the brain. It affects eating behavior and causes overeating. Also, too much sugar causes weight gain because it prevents the production of the leptin hormone. This hormone helps regulate energy balance by inhibiting hunger.[4]
Certainly, consuming foods which naturally contain sugars, such as fruits and beans, won’t harm you. On the contrary, they’re good for health, as they’re packed with vitamins, fiber, and health-promoting phytochemicals.
Are papayas high in sugars?
Papaya contains moderate amounts of sugars. It contains 7.8 g of sugars per 100 g. A small papaya contains about 12.3 g of sugars, while a large papaya contains up to 61 g! Moreover, an 1-cup serving contains 11 g of sugars.
The main types of sugars in papaya are glucose and fructose. In fact, papaya contains 4.1 g of glucose and 3.7 g of fructose per 100 g.
Other common fruits contain more sugar than papaya! For instance, papaya contains less sugar than banana, apple, and orange.
| sugars (g) per 100 g | |
| strawberries | 4.9 |
| watermelon | 6.2 |
| orange | 9 |
| apple | 10.6 |
| banana | 12 |
What’s the sugar content of other papaya products?
Only fresh papaya fruit contains moderate amounts of sugars. Other papaya products are particularly rich in sugars. For instance, dried papaya has 27 g of sugars per serving. More sugar than the maximum recommended daily dose!
Canned papaya with syrup is high in sugars as well. It has about 20 g of sugars per serving.
| sugar (g) per 100 g | sugar (g) per serving | |
| papaya, dried | 68 | 27 |
| canned papaya, with syrup | 52 | 20 |
| papaya juice | 14 | 35 |
| papaya, raw | 7.8 | 11 |
Papaya juice is high in sugar as well. In fact, all fruit juices are high in sugar. You better drink them in moderation.
You could drink orange juice, pomegranate juice, and apple juice. They have less sugar than papaya juice!
Should we eat papayas?
Papaya consumption is good for health. It may protect from many oxidative stress-related diseases, as it’s particularly high in antioxidant compounds. Antioxidants fight inflammation. Chronic inflammation has been associated with cancer, diabetes, and heart disease![6,7]
Moreover, papaya pulp and seeds may help reduce cholesterol levels and high blood pressure.[8]
Papaya pulp is rich in vitamin A, B-complex vitamins, vitamin C, and vitamin E, as well as minerals, such as magnesium and potassium. Papaya seeds are particularly high in phenolic compounds and carotenoids.
Can people with diabetes eat papayas?
People with diabetes can eat fresh papaya in moderation. A cup (145 g) of papaya contains about 16 g of carbs. In contrast, you better avoid consuming dried papaya, canned papaya, or papaya juice. They’re naturally high in carbs and sugars. They may contain added sugars as well.[9]
Certainly, you should consult your physician before start eating papaya.
Is papaya keto friendly?
People who follow a ketogenic diet should avoid papaya. It contains more carbs and sugars than the recommended dose per meal. A serving of fresh papaya fruit contains 16 g of carbs, 11 g of which are sugars! Certainly, neither other papaya products are keto-friendly.
