unripe papaya; they decrease substantially as the fruit ripens.
These nutritional properties help explain why ripe papaya is commonly included in fruit salads, smoothies, breakfasts, and desserts.
But calling papaya a “superfood” shouldn’t imply that it can prevent or treat disease by itself.
The Biggest Concern: Unripe Papaya During Pregnancy
This is the issue that deserves the most attention.
Unripe and semi-ripe papaya contain considerably more latex than fully ripe fruit. Research has found that crude papaya latex can cause uterine contractions in laboratory experiments, while a study using pregnant rats found no significant harmful effect from ripe papaya but did identify contractile effects from crude latex.
That distinction is important.
It does not mean that eating a normal serving of ripe papaya has been proven to cause miscarriage. The evidence concerning pregnancy is limited, and much of the experimental evidence involves animals or concentrated latex rather than ordinary servings
