Jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus)
Jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus) is a large tropical tree fruit of the mulberry family, native to the Western Ghats of India. The unripe (green) flesh is cooked as a vegetable, sold as a meat substitute and dried into green jackfruit flour; the seeds are eaten boiled or roasted and milled into seed flour, and leaf teas are a traditional remedy. The main human trial gave 40 adults with type 2 diabetes 30 g a day of a branded green jackfruit flour in place of the same volume of rice or wheat flour for 12 weeks. HbA1c fell slightly more than on the usual flours, but the flour maker funded the trial and the comparison flour carried more carbohydrate and calories. Leaf extract evidence rests on a brief early abstract. Jackfruit can cause allergic reactions, including anaphylaxis, in people with birch pollen or latex allergy.
Benefits
HbA1c and fasting glucose with green jackfruit flour in daily meals
In 40 adults with type 2 diabetes on oral medicines, 30 g a day of green jackfruit flour in place of the same volume of rice or wheat flour for 12 weeks lowered HbA1c by 0.25 points, against a 0.02 point rise on the usual flours, with lower fasting and after-meal glucose. The flour maker funded the trial, and the jackfruit flour also supplied less carbohydrate and more fiber.
Glucose tolerance after a hot-water jackfruit leaf extract
An early study from Sri Lanka reported that a hot-water extract of jackfruit leaves improved glucose tolerance in healthy volunteers and in adults with maturity-onset diabetes, at doses equivalent to 20 g of leaf starting material per kg. Only a brief abstract is available, with no group sizes, control details or glucose values.
Blood sugar response to a cooked jackfruit flesh and seed meal
In 10 healthy young adults, a breakfast of boiled mature jackfruit flesh and seeds with coconut gave a glycemic index of 75 against white bread, which the authors class as low, and fullness lasted 2 hours. The 450 g portion was hard to finish, and the test measured one cooked meal, not jackfruit flour or a supplement.
Fiber and resistant starch in jackfruit seeds
Boiled jackfruit seeds contained about 11 percent dietary fiber and 8 percent resistant starch by fresh weight, and a dried seed flour about 31 g of fiber per 100 g. Native starch isolated from the seeds measured 74 percent resistant starch in lab digestion tests. These are composition data; seed flour has not been tested for bowel or glucose effects in people.
Meat-like texture with fiber but little protein
Unripe jackfruit flesh has a fibrous structure that resembles shredded meat and is used in plant-based meat analogues. Its protein content is widely reported as below 2 percent, and the Dutch Nutrition Center classed it as unsuitable as a meat replacement because of low protein, iron and vitamin B12. It works as a fiber-rich vegetable, not a protein source.
Mechanism of action
Less digestible carbohydrate per serving of flour
Per 30 g, the green jackfruit flour in the trial supplied 108 kcal, 20 g net carbohydrate and 4 g fiber, against 146 kcal, 30 g net carbohydrate and 2.54 g fiber for the rice or wheat flour it replaced. The authors pointed to these differences, so part of any glucose effect may come from eating less digestible carbohydrate rather than from jackfruit itself.
Slowly digested and resistant starch in the seeds
In a cooked meal test, boiled seeds kept a mix of intact swollen and broken-down starch granules while the flesh starch granules had broken down, and the meal had about twice the share of slowly available glucose of the bread reference. Native seed starch has small, highly ordered granules that resisted enzyme digestion in lab tests.
Carbohydrate enzyme inhibition in lab tests
Caffeic acid and syringic acid isolated from a methanol extract of whole unripe jackfruit flour (peel, pulp, flake and seed) inhibited alpha-glucosidase and alpha-amylase, enzymes that break down carbohydrates, in test-tube assays. This is lab work with an extract; enzyme inhibition has not been measured in people eating the flour.
Clinical trials
Randomized, double-blind trial at a teaching hospital in Srikakulam, India, registered as CTRI/2019/05/019417; 30 g a day of Jackfruit365™ (Green Jackfruit Flour), 15 g at breakfast and 15 g at dinner, versus the same volume of rice or wheat flour as placebo (the paper does not say how the two flours were matched in look or taste); stated primary outcome was change in HbA1c at 12 weeks; funded by Diet Fiber 365 Food Products, and one author is the flour's inventor and CEO of the parent company that makes it (Rao et al. 2021, Nutr Diabetes)
40 adults aged 18 to 60 with type 2 diabetes for more than a year, stable on oral glucose-lowering drugs, HbA1c under 8 percent and not on insulin; 20 per group, 39 completed. Mean BMI was about 24.
HbA1c went from 7.23 to 6.98 percent on jackfruit flour and from 7.26 to 7.28 percent on the comparison flour (between-group p=0.006). Fasting glucose fell 29.45 versus 16.15 mg/dL (p=0.043) and after-meal glucose 36.70 versus 8.63 mg/dL (p=0.001). Weight and blood lipids did not change. No hypoglycemia or medicine changes were reported. The comparison flour carried more carbohydrate and calories, so the trial cannot separate jackfruit from carbohydrate reduction.
Glucose tolerance study read as its brief English abstract only; hot-water extracts of Artocarpus heterophyllus leaves (and separately of Asteracanthus longifolia) given by mouth at doses equivalent to 20 g/kg of starting material; design, controls and group sizes are not stated in the abstract (Fernando et al. 1991, J Ethnopharmacol)
Healthy volunteers and adults with maturity-onset diabetes, studied by a university group in Galle, Sri Lanka; numbers not given in the abstract.
The abstract reports that the leaf extract significantly improved glucose tolerance in both groups. It gives no glucose values, comparison arm or side effect data, so the size and reliability of the effect cannot be judged.
Glycemic index test in a randomized crossover design following FAO/WHO methods; a breakfast of 400 g boiled mature jackfruit flesh, about 50 g boiled seeds, 25 g coconut and 10 g onion sambol providing 50 g available carbohydrate, against white bread given twice as the reference; no competing interests declared (Hettiaratchi et al. 2011, Ceylon Med J)
10 healthy adults aged 20 to 30 in Sri Lanka.
The meal gave a glycemic index of 75 on the white bread scale, which the authors class as low; 8 of 10 people had low individual responses and 2 had medium. Fullness was maintained at 2 hours, unlike after bread. About 80 percent of participants found the 450 g portion difficult to eat. There was no comparison with a rice meal.
Allergy study using skin prick tests, IgE testing and food challenges: double-blind, placebo-controlled challenges in two people reporting jackfruit allergy and open challenges in five people with birch pollen related apple allergy (Bolhaar et al. 2004, Allergy)
7 patients at a Dutch university allergy clinic: 2 with reported jackfruit allergy and 5 with birch pollen related apple allergy.
Both reported jackfruit allergies were confirmed by double-blind challenge, and all five birch pollen and apple allergic patients had oral allergy-like symptoms when they ate jackfruit. IgE binding was traced to a 17 kDa jackfruit protein related to Bet v 1, the main birch pollen allergen.
Allergy clinic study using prick-to-prick skin tests with fig, mulberry, jackfruit and other pollen-associated foods, with immunoblot and mass spectrometry of the fruit proteins (Hemmer et al. 2010, Clin Exp Allergy)
188 patients at an allergy center in Vienna with or without birch pollen allergy, including 85 with isolated birch pollen allergy, 60 sensitized to Ficus benjamina and 32 allergic to mugwort pollen.
Of the 85 people with isolated birch pollen allergy, 91 percent had a positive skin test to jackfruit, while none of the 32 mugwort-allergic patients reacted to Moraceae fruits. A 17 kDa jackfruit protein shared 76 percent homology with Bet v 1. Skin test positivity was measured, not symptoms after eating jackfruit.
Side effects and drug interactions
Common Potential side effects
Important Drug interactions
Frequently asked questions about Jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus)
Is green jackfruit flour the same as ripe jackfruit?
No. Green jackfruit flour is made by drying and milling mature but unripe fruit, which is cooked as a vegetable. Ripe jackfruit is sweet and eaten as a fruit. In the main trial, 30 g of the green flour supplied 108 kcal, 20 g of net carbohydrate and 4 g of fiber. Seed flour is a separate product made from the starchy seeds.
What does the human research on jackfruit show?
One 12-week trial in 40 adults with type 2 diabetes found that 30 g a day of green jackfruit flour, used in place of rice or wheat flour, lowered HbA1c by 0.25 points while it rose 0.02 points on the usual flours, with lower fasting and after-meal glucose. The flour maker funded it, and the swap also cut carbohydrate. A brief leaf extract report and one meal glycemic index test complete the human data.
How much green jackfruit flour has been studied?
The trial used 30 g a day, 15 g stirred into breakfast and 15 g into dinner, replacing the same volume of rice or wheat flour rather than adding to it. No supplement dose is established for seed flour or leaf extracts. Follow the product label and increase slowly, as with any fiber-rich flour.
Can jackfruit replace meat in the diet?
Unripe jackfruit has a shredded, meat-like texture, but its protein content is widely reported as below 2 percent, and the Dutch Nutrition Center considers it an unsuitable meat replacement because it lacks protein, iron and vitamin B12. It can stand in for meat as a fiber-rich vegetable, paired with beans, tofu or other protein foods.
Who should be careful with jackfruit?
People with birch pollen allergy or latex allergy, since both are linked with jackfruit reactions, including anaphylaxis after eating dried jackfruit. Anyone taking glucose-lowering medicines should check blood sugar when swapping flours or adding leaf extracts and tell their prescriber.
What is Jackfruit?
Jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus) is a large tropical tree fruit of the mulberry family, native to the Western Ghats of India. The unripe (green) flesh is cooked as a vegetable, sold as a meat substitute and dried into green jackfruit flour; the seeds are eaten boiled or roasted and milled into seed flour, and leaf…
What is Jackfruit used for?
NutraSmarts does not list Jackfruit under a health category. What the research covers: In 40 adults with type 2 diabetes on oral medicines, 30 g a day of green jackfruit flour in place of the same volume of rice or wheat flour for 12 weeks lowered HbA1c by 0.25 points, against a 0.
What is the recommended dosage of Jackfruit?
The clinically studied dose is 30 g a day of green jackfruit flour (15 g at breakfast and 15 g at dinner, replacing the same volume of rice or wheat flour) for 12 weeks; leaf hot-water extract at doses equivalent to 20 g/kg of starting material, as one abstract reports. Always follow the product label and check with a healthcare provider for personal advice.
Is Jackfruit safe, and does it have side effects?
Side effects and cautions reported for Jackfruit include: People with birch pollen allergy may react to jackfruit: a jackfruit protein related to the main birch allergen caused oral allergy symptoms on challenge in birch-allergic patients, 91 percent of birch-allergic patients in one clinic had a positive jackfruit skin test, and a Cana… It may also interact with some medications. Jackfruit is not right for everyone, so check with a healthcare provider first if you are pregnant or breastfeeding, have a medical condition, or take prescription medication.
Does Jackfruit interact with any medications?
Possible interactions include: Glucose-lowering medicines (for example metformin, glimepiride or sitagliptin): in the 12-week flour trial, people on these oral medicines reported no hypoglycemia and needed no dose changes, but the trial excluded insulin users and people with HbA1c of 8 percent or more, partly… If you take prescription medication, check with a pharmacist or doctor before using it.
How strong is the scientific evidence for Jackfruit?
NutraSmarts rates the evidence for Jackfruit as Limited (2 out of 5). It is backed by 5 study summaries and 16 cited references summarized on this page. A higher rating reflects more, larger, and better-designed human studies.
References(16 citations)
Evidence ratings on NutraSmarts are based on the totality of human clinical research, with emphasis on randomized controlled trials, meta-analyses, and systematic reviews. The references below directly support claims made throughout this page.
- Efficacy of green jackfruit flour as a medical nutrition therapy replacing rice or wheat in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study. Nutr Diabetes. 2021;11(1):18. doi: 10.1038/s41387-021-00161-4.PubMedUsed to support: Randomized, double-blind trial (CTRI/2019/05/019417, as stated in the paper; the registry record was not read) at a teaching hospital in Srikakulam, India: 40 adults with type 2 diabetes on oral drugs, HbA1c under 8 percent, took 30 g a day of Jackfruit365 green jackfruit flour or the same volume of rice or wheat flour for 12 weeks. The stated primary outcome, change in HbA1c, favored jackfruit flour (minus 0.25 versus plus 0.02 points, p=0.006); fasting and after-meal glucose also fell more, while weight and lipids did not change and no hypoglycemia was reported. Per 30 g the jackfruit flour had 108 kcal, 20 g net carbohydrate and 4 g fiber versus 146 kcal, 30 g and 2.54 g for the comparison flour. Funded by Diet Fiber 365 Food Products; one author invented the flour and is CEO of the parent company. Read in full text.
- Effect of Artocarpus heterophyllus and Asteracanthus longifolia on glucose tolerance in normal human subjects and in maturity-onset diabetic patients. J Ethnopharmacol. 1991;31(3):277-82. doi: 10.1016/0378-8741(91)90012-3.PubMedUsed to support: Read as its brief abstract only: hot-water extracts of jackfruit leaves, given by mouth at doses equivalent to 20 g/kg of starting material, significantly improved glucose tolerance in normal subjects and in maturity-onset diabetic patients in Sri Lanka. The abstract gives no group sizes, control details or glucose values.
- Nutritional assessment of a jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus) meal. Ceylon Med J. 2011;56(2):54-8. doi: 10.4038/cmj.v56i2.3109.PubMedUsed to support: Glycemic index test in 10 healthy adults aged 20 to 30 (randomized crossover, white bread reference): a breakfast of boiled mature jackfruit flesh (40 g available carbohydrate) and seeds (10 g) with coconut and onion sambol gave a glycemic index of 75, classed by the authors as low on the bread scale. Boiled seeds contained 4.7 percent protein, 11.1 percent dietary fiber and 8 percent resistant starch by fresh weight; the meal's slowly available glucose share (30 percent) was twice that of the reference. Read in full text; no competing interests declared.
- Allergy to jackfruit: a novel example of Bet v 1-related food allergy. Allergy. 2004;59(11):1187-92. doi: 10.1111/j.1398-9995.2004.00544.x.PubMedUsed to support: Allergy study: jackfruit allergy was confirmed by double-blind, placebo-controlled food challenge in two patients, and all five patients with birch pollen related apple allergy had oral allergy-like symptoms on open jackfruit challenge. IgE reactivity was to a 17 kDa Bet v 1-related jackfruit protein; the authors conclude jackfruit allergy belongs with birch pollen related food allergies.
- Identification of Bet v 1-related allergens in fig and other Moraceae fruits. Clin Exp Allergy. 2010;40(4):679-87. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2222.2010.03486.x.PubMedUsed to support: Skin test study in 188 patients in Vienna: of 85 with isolated birch pollen allergy, 91 percent had a positive prick-to-prick test to jackfruit; none of 32 mugwort-allergic patients reacted to Moraceae fruits. A 17 kDa jackfruit protein had 76 percent homology with Bet v 1, and IgE binding to it was fully inhibited by birch pollen and recombinant Bet v 1.
- Jackfruit anaphylaxis in a latex allergic patient. Asian Pac J Allergy Immunol. 2015;33(1):65-8. doi: 10.12932/AP0416.33.1.2015.PubMedUsed to support: Case report: a 34-year-old nurse with hand eczema from latex gloves had anaphylaxis after eating dried jackfruit; skin prick tests were positive for jackfruit, latex glove, kiwi and papaya. The authors could not say whether this was cross-reactivity or two separate allergies.
- Jackfruit Anaphylaxis in a Latex Allergic Non-Healthcare Worker. Allergy Rhinol (Providence). 2021;12:21526567211009195. doi: 10.1177/21526567211009195.PubMedUsed to support: Case report: a 21-year-old man with latex allergy and allergic rhinitis had anaphylaxis immediately after eating dried jackfruit in the US Midwest; skin prick tests were positive for jackfruit and latex. The authors note that latex allergy and birch pollen cross-reactivity are both linked with jackfruit anaphylaxis. No conflicts declared.
- Jackfruit Anaphylaxis Due to Cross Reactivity with Latex. J Community Hosp Intern Med Perspect. 2023;13(4):42-44. doi: 10.55729/2000-9666.1199.PubMedUsed to support: Case report: a 68-year-old woman with latex allergy and seasonal allergies developed anaphylaxis with shortness of breath after eating jackfruit. The authors call for awareness of latex and plant food cross-reactivity as jackfruit gains popularity as a meat alternative. No conflicts declared.
- Three cases of jackfruit allergy in Canada: a case series. Allergy Asthma Clin Immunol. 2026;22(1):15. doi: 10.1186/s13223-025-01006-w.PubMedUsed to support: Case series: three patients in British Columbia with jackfruit allergy, all with a history of pollen food allergy syndrome to birch related foods. The authors expect more cases as jackfruit spreads in birch pollen regions. No competing interests declared.
- Oral allergy syndrome to a jackfruit (Artocarpus integrifolia). Allergy. 1997;52(4):428-31. doi: 10.1111/j.1398-9995.1997.tb01023.x.PubMedUsed to support: Case report: a 30-year-old man with pollen allergy developed oral allergy syndrome after eating jackfruit as well as raw apple, peach and celery. In this patient the main birch cross-reacting allergens (Bet v 1, Bet v 2) did not inhibit his IgE to jackfruit, so the cause was left open.
- Identification of allergens in Artocarpus heterophyllus, Moringa oleifera, Trianthema portulacastrum and Syzygium samarangense. Clin Mol Allergy. 2023;21(1):6. doi: 10.1186/s12948-023-00187-2.PubMedUsed to support: Allergen study in Sri Lanka including one patient with jackfruit anaphylaxis: immunoblotting identified a heat-stable 114 kDa allergen shared by tender, mature and ripe jackfruit and the seeds, plus further allergens that persisted in boiled tender fruit, boiled seeds and boiled mature fruit. No competing interests declared.
- The potential of immature jackfruit in meat analogues. Curr Res Food Sci. 2026;12:101255. doi: 10.1016/j.crfs.2025.101255.PubMedUsed to support: Review, read in full text: immature jackfruit has a fibrous, meat-like texture used in plant-based meat analogues and hybrid products; its protein content is widely reported as below 2 percent, and the Dutch Nutrition Center has classed it as an unsuitable meat analogue because of low protein, iron and vitamin B12. It also notes that seeds are commonly eaten boiled or roasted. One author reports employment with Fiber Foods.
- Supramolecular structure of jackfruit seed starch and its relationship with digestibility and physicochemical properties. Carbohydr Polym. 2016;150:269-77. doi: 10.1016/j.carbpol.2016.05.030.PubMedUsed to support: Laboratory study: native jackfruit seed starch had smaller granules, 24.9 percent amylose, higher crystallinity and a resistant starch content of 74.26 percent in vitro, more resistant to digestion than maize or cassava starch. No human testing.
- Physicochemical Properties, Antioxidant Capacity, Prebiotic Activity and Anticancer Potential in Human Cells of Jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus) Seed Flour. Molecules. 2021;26(16):4854. doi: 10.3390/molecules26164854.PubMedUsed to support: Laboratory study of jackfruit seed flour dried at 60 °C: 73.87 g carbohydrate, 31 g dietary fiber, 14 g protein and 1 g fat per 100 g, with non-digestible oligosaccharides such as 1-kestose; it supported growth of Lactobacillus casei and Bifidobacterium longum in culture. No human testing. No conflicts declared.
- Inhibitory Effect of Polyphenols from the Whole Green Jackfruit Flour against α-Glucosidase, α-Amylase, Aldose Reductase and Glycation at Multiple Stages and Their Interaction: Inhibition Kinetics and Molecular Simulations. Molecules. 2022;27(6):1888. doi: 10.3390/molecules27061888.PubMedUsed to support: Laboratory study: caffeic acid and syringic acid isolated from a methanol extract of whole unripe jackfruit flour (peel with pulp, flake and seed) inhibited alpha-glucosidase and alpha-amylase in test-tube assays, and the extract inhibited protein glycation stages. No human testing. No conflicts declared.
- Nutritional and Health Benefits of Jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus Lam.): A Review. Int J Food Sci. 2019;2019:4327183. doi: 10.1155/2019/4327183.PubMedUsed to support: Review, read as its abstract: jackfruit is a tropical fruit of the Moraceae family native to the Western Ghats of India, described as the largest edible fruit; its seeds and flesh are eaten as curries and boiled, the ripe flesh is eaten as fruit, and its leaves and bark are used in traditional medicine.