5 August 2026
The peel of purple passion fruit, a byproduct of the food industry rich in fiber and bioactive compounds, may help reduce inflammation and oxidative stress associated with asthma. This is the conclusion of a study from the University of Aveiro (UA) that identified positive effects of this ingredient on the body's antioxidant response and on the modulation of airway inflammation, opening new perspectives for its use as a nutritional adjuvant in supporting the control of the disease.
The study, published in the journal Food Research International, evaluated the potential of including purple passion fruit peel powder in the diet, and the results showed that this strategy did not cause adverse effects in the safety parameters evaluated.
At the highest concentration tested, supplementation reinforced the body's antioxidant defenses, with significant increases in important cellular protection mechanisms. A reduction in immunoglobulin E (IgE) levels, associated with allergic responses, and in two molecules involved in airway inflammation was also recorded. These results were accompanied by a lower presence of inflammatory cells in lung tissue.
Authored by Alexandre Fonseca, Cátia Vieira, Adelaide Almeida, Armado Silvestre, and Sílvia Rocha, from the research units LAQV-REQUIMTE – Associated Laboratory for Green Chemistry, CICECO – Aveiro Institute of Materials, and CESAM – Centre for Environmental and Marine Studies, the study suggests that the observed effects may result from the combined action of various components of the purple passion fruit peel, including its bioactive compounds and high fiber content. The latter may play a relevant role through interaction with the gut microbiota and a possible influence on the immune response in the lungs. Description for screen readers:
The results therefore point to the potential of purple passion fruit peel as a nutritional adjuvant in supporting asthma control, simultaneously contributing to the sustainable valorization of a byproduct of the food industry.
The authors emphasize, however, that this approach does not replace conventional pharmacological treatments for asthma. As the results are from an experimental study, further research will be needed to understand whether the observed benefits are also seen in humans and whether they have an effective impact on lung function.
The work involved the collaboration of scientists from the State University of Campinas (Brazil), Embrapa Agroindústria de Alimentos (Brazil), and the University of Coimbra.
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Alexandre Miguel Alves Fonseca
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Armando Jorge Domingues Silvestre
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