What the evidence says. Early or small human trials; promising but not yet conclusive.
Nutrition per serving 1 cup sliced (165 g)
Water121.3 g74%
Sugars31.5 g19%
Fibre2.5 g2%
Other carbs4.4 g3%
Protein2.8 g2%
Fat1.1 g1%
What's in one serving, by weight — average composition (USDA).One serving as % of the adult daily requirement (FDA Daily Values). The bold outer ring = 100% of a day's needs.
Jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus) is a fruit used for glycemic control: green (unripe) jackfruit flour substituted for rice/wheat lowered hba1c, fasting and postprandial glucose in a small t2dm rct. NutriDex grades the human evidence as Preliminary. Direct human evidence for jackfruit is limited and early-stage. The strongest signal is a single randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial (40 patients with type-2 diabetes) in which 30 g/day of green jackfruit flour replacing rice or wheat for 12 weeks reduced HbA1c, fasting and postprandial glucose versus placebo flour. Older human work (a 1991 glucose-tolerance study) suggested hot-water leaf extracts improved glucose handling in normal and maturity-onset (type-2) diabetic subjects, and glycemic-index testing places the related Artocarpus food boiled breadfruit in the low-GI range. Beyond glycemic effects, claims of antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, wound-healing and anticancer activity rest almost entirely on in-vitro, in-silico and animal studies of isolated compounds such as artocarpin, not on whole-fruit human trials. Ripe jackfruit is itself fairly high in natural sugars, so the favorable metabolic findings apply to the unripe/green fruit and its flour, not to large servings of sweet ripe flesh. No systematic reviews or meta-analyses of clinical endpoints yet exist, and the available trial is small, short and single-site. Overall the human evidence is best graded preliminary and promising for green-jackfruit glycemic substitution.
Purported Benefits
✓Glycemic control: green (unripe) jackfruit flour substituted for rice/wheat lowered HbA1c, fasting and postprandial glucose in a small T2DM RCT
✓Lower-glycemic carbohydrate source vs. refined grains, owing to fiber, resistant starch and intact food matrix
✓Dietary fiber for satiety, bowel regularity and as a plant-based meat-substitute texture
✓Antioxidant capacity from carotenoids, vitamin C and prenylated flavonoids (mechanistic/preclinical)
✓Source of potassium and vitamin B6 supporting blood-pressure and metabolic needs
✓Traditional/preclinical wound-healing and antimicrobial actions attributed to leaf and flavonoid constituents
Dosing & Compounds
Typical Dose
About 1 cup sliced (165 g) of raw ripe fruit; the clinical glycemic trial used 30 g/day of green jackfruit flour (split between two meals) replacing an equal volume of rice or wheat for 12 weeks.
Active Compounds
Carotenoids (lutein, beta-carotene, alpha-carotene) — yellow flesh pigments with provitamin-A/antioxidant rolesPrenylated flavonoids (artocarpin, cycloartocarpin, artocarpanone) — signature Artocarpus phenolicsFlavonoids and flavanones (morin, dihydromorin, norartocarpetin) with antioxidant activityPhenolic acids (ferulic, gallic, caffeic) contributing to total antioxidant capacityJacalin and artocarpin lectins — mannose/galactose-binding proteins (immunology reagents)Resistant starch and dietary fiber in unripe/green fruit and flourVitamin C (ascorbic acid) and vitamin B6 (pyridoxine)Potassium and magnesium mineralsVolatile esters (isopentyl/butyl esters) responsible for the characteristic ripe aroma
Safety & Cautions
⚠
Generally recognized as safe as a food. Ripe flesh is high in fermentable sugars and fiber and can cause bloating, gas or laxative effects in large amounts. Birch-pollen/latex-fruit cross-reactivity and rare jackfruit-specific oral allergy syndrome have been reported—those with latex or pollen allergy should be cautious. Because green-jackfruit flour and leaf preparations can lower blood glucose, people on insulin or sulfonylureas should monitor for additive hypoglycemia and consult a clinician. Its potassium content is modest per serving but worth noting for those on potassium-restricted (e.g., advanced renal) diets. Seeds should be cooked before eating, as raw seeds contain antinutrients/lectins. Educational only — always check with your doctor or pharmacist before combining Jackfruit with any medicine.
Jackfruit is most often taken for Glycemic control: green (unripe) jackfruit flour substituted for rice/wheat lowered HbA1c, fasting and postprandial glucose in a small T2DM RCT, Lower-glycemic carbohydrate source vs. refined grains, owing to fiber, resistant starch and intact food matrix, Dietary fiber for satiety, bowel regularity and as a plant-based meat-substitute texture, Antioxidant capacity from carotenoids, vitamin C and prenylated flavonoids (mechanistic/preclinical). Giant tropical fruit and emerging diabetic staple
Does Jackfruit work — what does the evidence say?
Preliminary evidence. Early or small human trials; promising but not yet conclusive. Direct human evidence for jackfruit is limited and early-stage. The strongest signal is a single randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial (40 patients with type-2 diabetes) in which 30 g/day of green jackfruit flour replacing rice or wheat for 12 weeks reduced HbA1c, fasting and postprandial glucose versus placebo flour. Older human work (a 1991 glucose-tolerance study) suggested hot-water leaf extracts improved glucose handling in normal and maturity-onset (type-2) diabetic subjects, and glycemic-index testing places the related Artocarpus food boiled breadfruit in the low-GI range. Beyond glycemic effects, claims of antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, wound-healing and anticancer activity rest almost entirely on in-vitro, in-silico and animal studies of isolated compounds such as artocarpin, not on whole-fruit human trials. Ripe jackfruit is itself fairly high in natural sugars, so the favorable metabolic findings apply to the unripe/green fruit and its flour, not to large servings of sweet ripe flesh. No systematic reviews or meta-analyses of clinical endpoints yet exist, and the available trial is small, short and single-site. Overall the human evidence is best graded preliminary and promising for green-jackfruit glycemic substitution.
What is the typical dose of Jackfruit?
About 1 cup sliced (165 g) of raw ripe fruit; the clinical glycemic trial used 30 g/day of green jackfruit flour (split between two meals) replacing an equal volume of rice or wheat for 12 weeks.
Is Jackfruit safe? Any cautions or side effects?
Generally recognized as safe as a food. Ripe flesh is high in fermentable sugars and fiber and can cause bloating, gas or laxative effects in large amounts. Birch-pollen/latex-fruit cross-reactivity and rare jackfruit-specific oral allergy syndrome have been reported—those with latex or pollen allergy should be cautious. Because green-jackfruit flour and leaf preparations can lower blood glucose, people on insulin or sulfonylureas should monitor for additive hypoglycemia and consult a clinician. Its potassium content is modest per serving but worth noting for those on potassium-restricted (e.g., advanced renal) diets. Seeds should be cooked before eating, as raw seeds contain antinutrients/lectins.
How many studies support Jackfruit?
NutriDex cites 9 sources for Jackfruit, graded "Preliminary".
Cite this page
APA
Peh, D. (2026). Jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus): Benefits, Dosage, Side Effects & Evidence. NutriDex — The Supplement Research Compendium. Retrieved 16 Sept 2026, from https://nutridex.info/s/jackfruit
BibTeX
@misc{nutridex_jackfruit,
author = {Peh, Daryl},
title = {Jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus): Benefits, Dosage, Side Effects \& Evidence},
year = {2026},
howpublished = {NutriDex --- The Supplement Research Compendium},
url = {https://nutridex.info/s/jackfruit},
note = {Reviewed by Dr Daryl Peh, MBBS Singapore, MMed FM. Accessed 2026-09-16}
}
For medical claims, citing the underlying primary studies linked above is preferred. NutriDex is an educational reference, not medical advice.