Joining the ranks of 'natural food' diabetes fighters such as bitter melon and cinnamon is the mango. This sour-sweet delight has long been praised for its flavor and vitamin content, but now it's gaining new acclaim as a diabetes warrior.

And early results, presented at the Australian Health and Medical Research Congress in Melbourne this week, suggest that some mango components act on the same pathways that diabetes and cholesterol drugs target.

University of Queensland PhD student Ashley Wilkinson says the study, the first of its kind, aims to find unique ingredients in mangoes and other tropical fruit like paw paws.

Another great reason to head to the produce aisle.