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African Mango

African mango is a West African tree whose seeds are made into an extract, and it is thought to influence fat storage and blood sugar through hormones such as adiponectin, which helps the body respond to insulin. In people with obesity, trials found adiponectin went up in one study of 102 people, and blood glucose improved in another of 40 people. Both studies were small and the evidence is limited, so these results are early and firm conclusions would be premature.

Updated 30 September 2026
How we grade
2 studies cited

Best evidence: Grade C
Conditions studied: 5
Outcomes: 28
Graded outcomes: 0060

Evidence by condition

Strong
Moderate
Limited
Very limited

5 conditions

Obesity

Obesity: outcomes studied for African Mango
Grade	Outcome	Effect	Size	Studies	People
	Adiponectin Small increase in adiponectin	Improves (the measure goes up)	Small effect		102 people
	Blood glucose Small improvement in blood glucose	Improves (the measure goes down)	Small effect		40 people
	Total cholesterol	Changes; see studies		2 studies	142 people
Studies that measured total cholesterol The effect of Irvingia gabonensis seeds on body weight and blood lipids of obese subjects in CameroonLipids Health Dis · PMID 15916709 IGOB131, a novel seed extract of the West African plant Irvingia gabonensis, significantly reduces body weight and improves metabolic parameters in overweight humans in a randomized double-blind placebo controlled investigationLipids Health Dis · PMID 19254366
	Blood Pressure	Changes; see studies			40 people
	Body Fat	Changes; see studies			102 people
	C-Reactive Protein (CRP)	Changes; see studies			102 people
	High-density lipoprotein (HDL)	Improves (the measure goes up)			142 people
	Leptin	Improves (the measure goes up)			102 people
	Low-density lipoprotein (LDL)	Changes; see studies			142 people
	Triglycerides	Changes; see studies			40 people
	Weight	Changes; see studies			142 people

General Cardiovascular Health

General Cardiovascular Health: outcomes studied for African Mango
Grade	Outcome	Effect	Size	Studies	People	Studies list
	Blood glucose Small improvement in blood glucose	Improves (the measure goes down)	Small effect		40 people

Metabolic Health

Blood glucose: improves

Metabolic Health: outcomes studied for African Mango
Grade	Outcome	Effect	Size	Studies	People	Studies list
	Blood glucose Small improvement in blood glucose	Improves (the measure goes down)	Small effect		40 people

Overweight

Adiponectin: improves
Total cholesterol: changes; see studies
Body Fat: changes; see studies

Overweight: outcomes studied for African Mango
Grade	Outcome	Effect	Size	Studies	People
	Adiponectin Small increase in adiponectin	Improves (the measure goes up)	Small effect		102 people
	Total cholesterol	Changes; see studies		2 studies	102 people
Studies that measured total cholesterol The effect of Irvingia gabonensis seeds on body weight and blood lipids of obese subjects in CameroonLipids Health Dis · PMID 15916709 IGOB131, a novel seed extract of the West African plant Irvingia gabonensis, significantly reduces body weight and improves metabolic parameters in overweight humans in a randomized double-blind placebo controlled investigationLipids Health Dis · PMID 19254366
	Body Fat	Changes; see studies			102 people
	C-Reactive Protein (CRP)	Changes; see studies			102 people
	High-density lipoprotein (HDL)	Improves (the measure goes up)			102 people
	Leptin	Improves (the measure goes up)			102 people
	Low-density lipoprotein (LDL)	Changes; see studies			102 people
	Weight	Changes; see studies			102 people

Weight Loss & Maintenance

Blood glucose: improves
Total cholesterol: changes; see studies
Blood Pressure: changes; see studies

Weight Loss & Maintenance: outcomes studied for African Mango
Grade	Outcome	Effect	Size	Studies	People
	Blood glucose Small improvement in blood glucose	Improves (the measure goes down)	Small effect		40 people
	Total cholesterol	Changes; see studies		2 studies	40 people
Studies that measured total cholesterol The effect of Irvingia gabonensis seeds on body weight and blood lipids of obese subjects in CameroonLipids Health Dis · PMID 15916709 IGOB131, a novel seed extract of the West African plant Irvingia gabonensis, significantly reduces body weight and improves metabolic parameters in overweight humans in a randomized double-blind placebo controlled investigationLipids Health Dis · PMID 19254366
	Blood Pressure	Changes; see studies			40 people
	High-density lipoprotein (HDL)	Improves (the measure goes up)			40 people
	Low-density lipoprotein (LDL)	Changes; see studies			40 people
	Triglycerides	Changes; see studies			40 people
	Weight	Changes; see studies			40 people

Key findings

AdiponectinObesityImproves (the measure goes up)
Blood glucoseObesityImproves (the measure goes down)

Shop African Mango

Third-party tested African Mango products. The evidence above is limited, so read it before you buy.

Grade C

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Studies cited

2 studies from PubMed

The effect of Irvingia gabonensis seeds on body weight and blood lipids of obese subjects in CameroonLipids Health Dis · PMID 15916709
IGOB131, a novel seed extract of the West African plant Irvingia gabonensis, significantly reduces body weight and improves metabolic parameters in overweight humans in a randomized double-blind placebo controlled investigationLipids Health Dis · PMID 19254366