Chayote: a folate vegetable with a capsule trial record

In a meta-analysis of 3 small trials, all from one research group, capsules of dried whole chayote lowered fasting glucose by 20.56 mg/dL at 3 months (95% CI 11.77 to 29.35) in older adults aged 60 to 71 with metabolic syndrome. At 6 months the drop was 12.96 mg/dL (95% CI 4.02 to 21.90). HbA1c fell 1.12 points at 3 months (95% CI 0.78 to 1.45) and 0.92 at 6 months (95% CI 0.25 to 1.13) in the same trials, a large drop for a food powder that no other group has repeated. The dose was 500 mg three times a day of fruit dried at 40 C with its skin, seeds and spines, which is a different product from the cooked vegetable. In the largest trial, 56% of older adults on the capsules no longer met the criteria for metabolic syndrome after 6 months, against 13% on placebo, though 46 of the 133 randomized dropped out and only those who finished were analyzed. All six human trials together hold 282 people, every one of them an older adult with metabolic syndrome on the same dose. Nothing is known for younger or healthy eaters. None of the trials was built to look for harms, no safe upper dose for people has been set, and the capsules have never been tested alongside diabetes medicines.

The numbers, per 3.5 oz (100 g)

How much is actually in it

• Each 500 mg capsule of dried chayote used in the trials held about 155 ug cucurbitacin E and 90 ug cucurbitacin B, the bitter compounds of the squash family. — laboratory analysis of trial capsules, S. edule var. nigrum spinosum Evidence D source
  Per capsule: cucurbitacin E 154.8 ug, B 89.9 ug, D 6.11 ug, I 0.71 ug
• USDA puts raw chayote at 93 ug folate per 3.5 oz (100 g), 23% of the Daily Value, with little else of note, and no sample range behind it. — USDA SR Legacy record for Chayote, fruit, raw (n = 1 record) Evidence E source
  Per 100 g: folate 93 ug (23% DV), copper 0.123 mg (14% DV), vitamin C 7.7 mg (9% DV), zinc 0.74 mg, fiber 1.7 g

What cooking and storage change

• The trial powder was whole chayote fruit dried at 40 C and ground with its skin, seeds and spines, a different product from the cooked vegetable. — product preparation for a 48-person trial of older adults Evidence D source
  Fruits washed, sliced, dried at 40 C and pulverised with epidermis, seeds and spines
• Boiling in water that is then drained keeps about 65% of folate and 75% of vitamin C in vegetables of chayote's USDA group. — USDA retention factors for Vegetables and Vegetable Products, other vegetables Evidence E source
  VEG,OTHER,BLD,WATER COVER,DRAINED: folate 65%, vitamin C 75%, copper 95%, zinc 95% retained

What it does to your health

• In a meta-analysis of 3 trials, chayote powder capsules lowered fasting glucose in older adults with metabolic syndrome by about 21 mg/dL at 3 months and 13 mg/dL at 6 months. — older adults aged 60 to 71 with metabolic syndrome, 500 mg dried chayote powder three times a day (n = 3 trials pooled (282 participants across 6 reviewed trials)) Evidence A source
  MD -20.56 mg/dL (95% CI -29.35 to -11.77) at 3 months; MD -12.96 mg/dL (95% CI -21.90 to -4.02) at 6 months
• The same meta-analysis found HbA1c about 1.1 points lower at 3 months and 0.9 lower at 6 months with chayote capsules. — older adults aged 60 to 71 with metabolic syndrome, 500 mg chayote powder three times a day (n = 3 trials pooled) Evidence A source
  HbA1c MD -1.12 (95% CI -1.45 to -0.78) at 3 months; MD -0.92 (95% CI -1.13 to -0.25) at 6 months
• In 81 older adults with metabolic syndrome, 56% of those on chayote capsules no longer met the syndrome criteria after 6 months versus 13% on placebo. — 81 analyzed adults over 60 in Mexico City (133 randomized), 3 x 500 mg chayote powder capsules a day or placebo for 6 months (n = 81) Evidence B source
  No longer MetS: 30% vs 13% at 3 months, 56% vs 13% at 6 months (p < 0.05)
• The first, uncontrolled study gave 12 older adults chayote powder for six weeks and saw lower lipoperoxides and TNF-alpha against their own baseline. — 12 older adults (10 women), mean age 71, metabolic syndrome, 500 mg three times a day for 6 weeks (n = 12) Evidence C source
  Lipoperoxides 0.289 to 0.234 umol/L; total antioxidants 0.97 to 1.2 mmol/L; TNF-alpha 5.3 to 3.5

Safety, limits and interactions

• A French allergy review lists chayote among foods behind newly described cases of food allergy. — case reports summarized in a narrative review Evidence D source
  Chayote named among new food-allergy triggers; no frequency given
• The capsule trial authors cite their own animal work in which the LD50 of Sechium edule was above 5000 mg per kg of body weight, and doses from 800 mg per kg lowered glucose without toxicity to liver, kidney, spleen or thymus. Those doses were injected into the abdomen, not eaten. — experimental animals given Sechium edule intraperitoneally, as cited by the capsule trial authors Evidence D source
  LD50 above 5000 mg/kg body weight; from 800 mg/kg glucose fell without changes in blood chemistry or toxicity to liver, kidney, spleen and thymus
• In mice given a methanolic chayote fruit extract at 8 to 5000 mg per kg, no animal died and blood tests were unchanged, but the bone marrow mitotic index rose. The 2026 review says this shows no acute toxicity and is not a long-term safety assessment. — CD-1 mice given a methanolic extract of S. edule var. nigrum spinosum fruit, 8 to 5000 mg/kg Evidence D source
  No deaths up to 5000 mg/kg, blood chemistry and counts unchanged, raised bone marrow mitotic index; not a repeated-dose assessment

Who this works differently for

• Every human trial of chayote so far used the same capsule dose in older adults with metabolic syndrome, 282 people in total, so nothing is known for younger or healthy eaters. — 282 older adults aged 60 to 71, all with metabolic syndrome, across six trials (n = 282) Evidence A source
  Single dose regimen 500 mg three times a day; 1.5 to 6 months
• In southwest Chicago, 82% of grocery stores in Latino neighborhoods carried chayote against 17.6% in African-American neighborhoods. — store audit of 115 stores in African-American and 110 in Latino neighborhoods, Chicago, 2006 (n = 225 stores) Evidence C source
  Chayote availability 82.0% vs 17.6% of grocery stores (P<0.05)

What is still unknown

• A 2026 review of the chayote capsule trials, 500 mg of dried fruit powder three times a day for up to 6 months, finds no apparent toxicity signal. It adds that the trials were small, short and not designed to detect adverse events, so this is not evidence of long-term safety. — older adults with metabolic syndrome or type 2 diabetes taking 500 mg dried chayote powder three times a day for weeks to 6 months Evidence C source
  No apparent toxicity signal; trials small, short and not designed to assess adverse events, organ toxicity, dose response or long-term safety
• A 2025 meta-analysis of six studies in 282 older adults excluded any study that gave chayote together with medicines, so there are no data on taking it with diabetes drugs. The authors judge the glucose drop clinically modest and say chayote should only complement drug treatment. — 282 older adults aged 60 to 71 with metabolic syndrome in six clinical studies, 500 mg S. edule three times a day (n = 282) Evidence A source
  Studies combining S. edule with medications excluded; glucose reduction judged clinically modest; authors advise use only alongside drug treatment and call for trials with drugs such as metformin

The bottom line

As a vegetable, chayote has one clear number. USDA gives raw chayote 93 ug folate per 3.5 oz (100 g), 23% of the Daily Value, with 14% for copper and 9% for vitamin C, from a single record with no sample range behind it. Boiling in water that is then drained keeps about 65% of the folate and 75% of the vitamin C, by USDA factors set for the whole vegetable group and not for chayote by name. The trial capsules carried the bitter compounds of the squash family, about 155 ug cucurbitacin E and 90 ug cucurbitacin B per 500 mg capsule, measured in one spiny variety, so plain market chayote may differ. The first study gave the powder to 12 older adults for six weeks with no control group, and TNF-alpha fell from 5.3 to 3.5 against their own starting values. A French allergy review lists chayote among foods behind newly described cases of food allergy, without case details or any frequency. On the capsules, a 2026 review finds no apparent toxicity signal in the published trials of 500 mg three times a day for up to 6 months. It adds that those trials were small, short and not designed to detect adverse events, so this is not evidence of long-term safety. No safe upper dose for people has been set. The animal figures behind the capsule dose are an LD50 above 5000 mg per kg from doses injected into the abdomen, not eaten, and an LD50 is not a safe human dose. In a single-dose mouse study of a methanolic fruit extract, no animal died up to 5000 mg per kg, but the bone marrow mitotic index rose. The 2025 meta-analysis excluded every study that gave chayote with medicines, so the capsules have not been tested together with diabetes drugs. Whether glucose then falls too low is unknown, not shown to be absent. The meta-analysis authors judge the glucose drop clinically modest and say chayote should only complement drug treatment. We have no card on pregnancy or children for chayote either, so this page cannot speak to them. Where you can buy it varies a lot: a 2006 audit in southwest Chicago found chayote in 82% of grocery stores in Latino neighborhoods and 17.6% in African-American ones.

Sources

1. chay-r6-05 · laboratory analysis
   The following results were obtained: 154.8 µg cucurbitacin E, 89.9 µg cucurbitacin B, 6.11 µg cucurbitacin D, and 0.71 µg cucurbitacin I; regarding flavonoids, it contains 48.8 µg of naringenin, 14.2 µg of phlorizin, 0.014 µg of apigenin, 45.5 µg of rutin, 2.38 µg of myricetin, and 1.30 µg of quercetin; finally, it contains phenolic acids such as chlorogenic 1.4 µg, protocatechuic 3.3 µg, caffeic 9.3 µg, ferulic 7.0 µg, syringic 8.7 µg, p-coumaric 1.7 µg, gallic 38.8 µg, and p-hydroxybenzoic acid 0.11 µg.
   Antioxidants (Basel), 2022 · checked 2026-09-28
2. chay-r6-10 · USDA FoodData Central SR Legacy, dataset
   Chayote, fruit, raw (FDC 170402, SR Legacy, Vegetables and Vegetable Products): folate 93 ug per 100 g = 23% DV; copper 0.123 mg = 14% DV; vitamin C 7.7 mg = 9% DV; zinc 0.74 mg = 7% DV; fiber 1.7 g = 6% DV; Foundation samples 0, CoFID match none
   USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy, FDC 170402 · checked 2026-09-28
3. chay-r6-06 · trial methods section
   The fruits were collected in a state of horticultural maturity; subsequently, they were selected, washed, cut into slices, dried at 40 °C, and pulverized (epidermis, seeds, and spines).
   Redox Rep, 2023 · checked 2026-09-28
4. chay-r6-11 · USDA Table of Nutrient Retention Factors, dataset
   USDA-RETN-R6:3775 VEG,OTHER,BLD,WATER COVER,DRAINED, group Vegetables and Vegetable Products: folate_total_ug 65% retained, vitamin_c_mg 75%, copper_mg 95%, zinc_mg 95%
   USDA Table of Nutrient Retention Factors, Release 6, 2007, Retn_Code 3775 · checked 2026-09-28
5. chay-r6-01 · meta-analysis
   The MA of three studies showed MD = −20.56 mg/dL (CI95%: −29.35, −11.77, p < 0.00001) and MD = −12.96 mg/dL (CI95%: −21.90, −4.02, p = 0.004) after three and six months of treatment, respectively (Figure 4).
   Foods, 2025 · checked 2026-09-28
6. chay-r6-02 · meta-analysis
   The MA showed MD = −1.12 (CI95%: −1.45, −0.78, p < 0.00001) and MD = −0.92 (CI95%: −1.13, −0.25, p = 0.002) after three and six months of treatment, respectively (Figure 5).
   Foods, 2025 · checked 2026-09-28
7. chay-r6-04 · randomized trial in humans
   On the other hand, considering the effect of S. edule on the clinical control of MetS, a statistically significant improvement (without MetS) was observed at 3 months (EG, 30% vs. PG, 13%, p < 0.05) and at 6 months (EG, 56%, vs., PG, 13%, p < 0.05) (Table 6).
   Antioxidants (Basel), 2022 · checked 2026-09-28
8. chay-r6-07 · uncontrolled study in humans
   Regarding inflammation markers, a statistically significant decrease in TNF-α concentration was observed after treatment (baseline, 5.3 ± 1.4 vs. post-treatment, 3.5 ± 1.3, p < 0.05) (Table 4).
   Antioxidants (Basel), 2019 · checked 2026-09-28
9. chay-r6-08 · narrative review
   New cases of FA have been described with chayote, rambutan, arguta, pumpkin seeds, custard apple, and with mycoproteins from Fusarium.
   Allerg Immunol (Paris), 1998 · checked 2026-09-28
10. hf2-chay-2 · animal toxicity data cited in trial methods
    taking as reference data previously reported by our work group and obtained in an experimental model where different doses of Sechium edule were administered (0, 8, 16, 40,160, 400, 800, 1600, 2900 and 5000 mg/kg) being the LD50 greater than 5000 mg/kg body weight. In this study, a dose starting at 800 mg/kg significantly reduced glucose levels, without altering blood chemistry and without causing toxicity to the liver, kidney, spleen, and thymus [14]. Considering that the dose administered in this model was intraperitoneal
    Redox Rep, 2023 · checked 2026-10-08
11. hf2-chay-3 · narrative review
    No mortality was recorded in CD-1 mice given doses ranging from 8 to 5000 mg/kg body weight, and no significant changes in blood chemistry or peripheral blood cell counts were found at the highest dose tested, although an increase in the mitotic index of bone marrow cells was observed. ... These results show that the methanolic extract of the fruits is not acutely toxic but do not represent a long-term or repeated-exposure safety assessment because of the short duration of the observations and the fact that the extract was prepared experimentally.
    Foods, 2026 · checked 2026-10-08
12. chay-r6-03 · systematic review
    The sample size of the six articles included in the SR of the clinical trials was 282 older adults ranging in age from 60 to 71 years, all with diagnosed MS. The dose of S. edule extract consumed by patients in all studies was 500 mg three times per day, and the intervention time was from 1.5 months, 3 months, and 6 months (Table 1).
    Foods, 2025 · checked 2026-09-28
13. chay-r6-09 · cross-sectional study
    For example, grocery stores located in Latino neighborhoods were more likely to carry chayote (82.0% vs 17.6%, P<0.05), whereas grocery stores located in African-American neighborhoods were more likely to carry black-eyed peas (52.9% vs 20%, P<0.05).
    J Am Diet Assoc, 2010 · checked 2026-09-28
14. hf2-chay-1 · narrative review
    The powdered form of dried fruit of S. edule var. nigrum spinosum has been used in older adults with MetS or T2DM for several weeks to 6 months, with doses of 500 mg three times a day (1.5 g/day) [ 8 , 13 , 76 , 82 ]. The studies focused mainly on metabolic, inflammatory, antioxidant, telomere-related, Nrf2-mediated, and sirtuin-related outcomes and not safety as a primary endpoint. No apparent toxicity signal is evident from the published interventions, although the published trials are generally small, short-term, and were not primarily designed to assess adverse events, organ toxicity, dose–response relationships, or long-term clinical safety. The absence of toxicity reports in these studies should not be taken as definitive evidence of long-term therapeutic safety.
    Foods, 2026 · checked 2026-10-08
15. hf2-chay-4 · systematic review and meta-analysis
    Exclusion criteria were as follows: (i) studies that administered S. edule in combination with other compounds or medications; ... The sample size of the six articles included in the SR of the clinical trials was 282 older adults ranging in age from 60 to 71 years, all with diagnosed MS. ... however, the magnitude of the reduction is clinically modest. Therefore, S. edule consumption should only be included as a complement to pharmacological treatment, although it could be a good preventive option in patients with risk factors for T2DM and/or prediabetic subjects. ... it would be advisable to conduct clinical trials that include pharmacological treatments in addition to S. edule intake, for example, metformin combined with S. edule.
    Foods, 2025 · checked 2026-10-08