Tamarind

Studies in people

• Benefit

  Blood fats and blood pressure²

  In people with HIV, tamarind juice may lower blood fats and blood pressure, but the authors say larger trials are needed.

• Benefit

  Cholesterol and blood pressure³

  In people, tamarind pulp lowered total and LDL cholesterol and diastolic blood pressure, but not weight or systolic pressure.

• Benefit

  Fluoride in bones⁵

  In children, eating tamarind helped move stored fluoride out of bone and into urine.

Animal and lab studies only

• Benefit

  Blood sugar and cholesterol⁶

  Tamarind may help blood sugar and cholesterol, but most evidence comes from animal and lab studies, not people.

• Benefit

  Blood sugar and liver health⁷

  In animal studies, tamarind seed xyloglucan improved blood sugar and liver health, but only when gut bacteria were present.

• Benefit

  Colon cancer risk⁸

  In animal studies, tamarind cut colon cancer risk in hamsters, but a high-cholesterol diet weakened that protection.

Found in some samples or products

These come from where it was grown, how it was processed or cooked, or what it was made into. They are not about the ingredient itself, so the signal does not count them.

• Lead in candy⁴

  Tamarind suckers and their wrappers were found to contain lead, which can get into a child's blood.

The signal at the top counts the findings in people and in animal and lab studies. A concern in studies of people outranks animal and lab studies, and “No concerns” needs at least one finding in people. When most findings in people point one way, the page leans that way (“Mostly”), and every finding is still shown. Findings whose study type is not stated are shown but not counted. This page is a reference, not medical advice. It describes what regulators and published research say. Talk to a doctor or dietitian about your own diet.