We all know that eating fruit is good for us but this study give us more reasons to eat different kind of fruits.
Why we all should Eat Fruits?
Fruits are good source of vitamins, minerals and fibre are ideal to consume at least 4-5 servings in a day. Since they are in the natural form, account for largest part of water and 100% bad cholesterol free, it's much easier for the body to process and absorb the vitamins and minerals from the fresh fruit.
Orange –
They are round thick-skinned juicy edible fruit that is a reddish-yellow colour when ripe with sweet to sour in flavour. Peeled and eaten fresh or squeezed to make juice. Contain vitamin C, flavonoids, provides pectin and rich in sodium when ripened in sunshine.
Apple –
They are Round fruit with lots of fibre, vitamins A, C, E and foliate. They are Available in green, red or yellow skin when ripe. Apples reduce the risk of colon cancer, prostate cancer and lung cancer. They also help with heart disease, weight loss and controlling cholesterol.
Bananas –
They are Long thick skinned fruit yellow in colour when ripe. Good source of fibre, potassium, vitamins A, C, B6, E & foliate. Unripe or green bananas are used in cooking.
Cherries –
They are small round fruit with a seed, red or black in colour when ripened. Cherries always have to be ripe to eat. Cherries contain anthocyanin that reduces pain & inflammation.
Figs –
Eaten either dried or fresh, figs contain vitamin A, C, foliate and niacin. They are small sweet fruit full of small seeds.
Kiwi –
A rich source of vitamins A, C, E, B - complex, calcium, iron and folic acid, kiwi is a small oval fruit with thin brown skin, soft green flesh and black seeds. The skin is a good source of flavonoid antioxidants.
Lime –
Lime or lemon is the most cultivated citrus fruit with green to yellow colour loaded with vitamins A, C and foliate. Juice of lime is good for detoxification and has antioxidant properties.
Peach –
They are round juicy fruit with a yellowish red skin & flesh having a taste of acidic tang and sweetness contains a rough stone. Always to be picked and eaten ripe.
Plum –
They are soft round smooth-skinned fruit with sweet flesh and a flattish pointed stone. It is high in carbohydrates, low in fat and calories. An excellent source of vitamin A, C, calcium, magnesium, iron, potassium, fibre and free of sodium and cholesterol.
Papaya –
A melon like fruit with yellow- orange flesh with dozens of small black seeds enclosed in skin that ranges in colour from green to orange. They are either round, pear-shaped, or long like a banana. They are rich in vitamins A, B, C, and D; calcium, phosphorous and iron. It is high in digestive properties and has a direct tonic effect on the stomach.
Pear –
A sweet juicy yellow or green fruit with a rounded shape narrow towards the stalk. Best eaten at room temperature, pear contains kalium and riboflavin. It is good for skin and contains plenty of fibres.
Strawberry –
A triangular shaped red colour fruit. It is one of the richest sources of Vitamin C and fibre. It has high content of sodium and iron. It helps in whitening of the teeth. They are used to relieve rheumatism.
Watermelon –
They are type of melon with smooth exterior rind and juicy sweet red interior flesh. Extraordinarily refreshing to drink as juice or eaten when ripe and fresh. They are Valuable for minerals, vitamins and sugar with useful amount of fibre and iron.
New Research-Nectarines, Plums and Peaches May Fight Obesity and Diabetes
Stone fruits, also known as drupes, such as nectarines, plums and peaches, may contain useful compounds that help fight-off metabolic syndrome, which can lead to diabetes, heart attack and stroke, say researchers from Texas AgriLife Research, a member of Texas A & M University System. Food scientist, Luis Cisneros-Zevallos and team showed that compounds that exist in stone fruits could be useful in the fight against metabolic syndrome, in which inflammation and obesity eventually lead to serious illnesses and health problems. The scientists will present their findings at the American Chemical Society in Philadelphia in August, 2012. Cisneros-Zevallos said, In recent years obesity has become a major concern in society due to the health problems associated to it. In the U.S., statistics show that around 30% of the population is overweight or obese, and these cases are increasing every year in alarming numbers.
Everyone now knows that diet, genetics, lack of sleep, and physical inactivity play a major role in the obesity epidemic. The main concern is obesity's association with metabolic syndrome. Metabolic syndrome is a collection of conditions, including high blood sugar levels, hypertension (high blood pressure), too much fat around the waist, and excessively high cholesterol levels - together, they considerably raise the risk of developing diabetes, having a stroke, or a heart attack. Cisneros-Zevallos said, Our studies have shown that stone fruits - peaches, plums and nectarines - have bioactive compounds that can potentially fight the syndrome. Our work indicates that phenolic compounds present in these fruits have anti-obesity, anti-inflammatory and anti-diabetic properties in different cell lines and may also reduce the oxidation of bad cholesterol LDL which is associated to cardiovascular disease.
Cisneros-Zevallos explained,Our work shows that the four major phenolic groups - anthocyanins, clorogenic acids, quercetin derivatives and catechins - work on different cells - fat cells, macrophages and vascular endothelial cells. They modulate different expressions of genes and proteins depending on the type of compound. However, at the same time, all of them are working simultaneously in different fronts against the components of the disease, including obesity, inflammation, diabetes and cardiovascular disease. The researchers say that this is the first time bioactive compounds from a fruit have been demonstrated to have the potential to attack a disease from several different fronts.
Zevallos said Each of these stone fruits contain similar phenolic groups but in differing proportions so all of them are a good source of health promoting compounds and may complement each other. The scientists now plan to determine what the role each type of compound has, at a molecular level. They also wish to confirm their animal studies.
(Source-American Chemical Society)
No comments:
Post a Comment