Fruit · Glycemic index
Do mangoes spike blood sugar?
Moderately. Mangoes have a low GI of 51, and a 165 g serving (1 cup pieces) has a medium glycemic load of 11. Mango has a low average GI, but it is denser in carbohydrate than berries or melon, so a cup of mango pieces reaches a medium glycemic load.
Key numbers
- Glycemic index
- 51
- Low GI
- Glycemic load
- 11
- Medium GL
- Available carbs
- 22 g
- 2.6 g fiber
- Serving
- 1 cup pieces
- 165 g · raw
GI vs GL for mangoes
The glycemic index (GI) compares how fast the carbohydrate in a food raises blood sugar against pure glucose (100), using a fixed amount of carbohydrate. The glycemic load (GL) adds the other half of the story â how much carbohydrate a normal serving actually contains: GI Ă available carbs Ă· 100. For mangoes: 51 Ă 22 g Ă· 100 â 11.
That figure is an average reported in the 2008 international GI tables (âMango, raw: 51 ± 5 (average of all available data)â). A single ISO-standard test of raw mango (Taiwan) in the 2021 tables found 48; an older test of ripe mango from India found 60.
Eating a different amount? Work out the glycemic load of your portion.
How to eat mangoes with less of a spike
- Serve half a cup of pieces rather than a whole mango â a whole fruit is about two cups' worth.
- Add mango to plain Greek yogurt or cottage cheese rather than drinking mango juice or nectar.
- Choose mango that is just ripe rather than very soft; riper fruit tends to have a higher GI.
Lower-GI swaps
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Frequently asked questions
What is the glycemic index of mangoes?
Mangoes have a glycemic index of 51, which is low. That figure is an average reported in the 2008 international GI tables (âMango, raw: 51 ± 5 (average of all available data)â). A 165 g serving (1 cup pieces) contains about 22 g of available carbohydrate, giving a glycemic load of 11 (medium).
Is mangoes good for prediabetes?
Mango can be part of a prediabetes diet in moderate portions. Half a cup of pieces, eaten with yogurt or after a meal with protein, is a sensible way to enjoy it.
Is mango high in sugar?
Mango is one of the more carbohydrate-dense fresh fruits â about 15 g of carbohydrate per 100 g, roughly twice that of strawberries or watermelon. Its average GI of 51 is low, so the portion decides how much it raises blood sugar.
Sources
GI values come from the international GI tables; carbohydrate and fiber per serving are calculated from USDA FoodData Central.
- Atkinson FS, Foster-Powell K, Brand-Miller JC. International tables of glycemic index and glycemic load values: 2008. Diabetes Care. 2008;31(12):2281â2283, Table 1
- USDA FoodData Central, FDC ID 169910: Mangos, raw
- Atkinson FS, Brand-Miller JC, Foster-Powell K, Buyken AE, Goletzke J. International tables of glycemic index and glycemic load values 2021: a systematic review. Am J Clin Nutr. 2021;114(5):1625â1632, Supplemental Table 1
- The University of Sydney, Glycemic Index Research Service â GI database search
- Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, The Nutrition Source â Carbohydrates and Blood Sugar
- USDA FoodData Central, FDC ID 167762: Strawberries, raw
- USDA FoodData Central, FDC ID 167765: Watermelon, raw
Data last checked .
