Research confirms that pears are an important part of a healthy diet

A Healthy Choice
Nutrition Information
Research

Click on any of the research references below to learn how pears can be part of a healthy lifestyle.

Fruit and Vegetables cut stroke risk

Eating more than the recommended five portions of fruit and vegetables a day can further reduce the odds of suffering a stroke, researchers say. An analysis of eight studies that looked into the impact of fruit and vegetables on stroke showed that the more healthy foods people consume the less like they are to have a stroke. Fruits and vegetables are full of nutrients such as vitamin C, beta carotene and potassium as well as plant proteins and dietary fiber. Researchers suspect that potassium is an important factor in preventing stroke.
Journal link: http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140673606680690/abstract
Press release link: http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060127/hl_nm/stroke_dc

Reducing hypertension with more dietary potassium

A new statement on diet from the American Heart Association emphasizes weight loss, cutting back on salt and alcohol and increasing dietary potassium as viable ways to reduce blood pressure, but does not recommend the use of supplements. Pears contain 198 mg, or about 6% of the daily recommendation of this hard to supply mineral. http://www.nutraingredients.com/news/ng.asp?n=65532&m=1NIE201&c=vfgmiacrtydidgb

Americans need more critical nutrients in their diets

According to a U.S. Department of Agriculture study, “What We Eat in America”, Americans typically lack calcium, magnesium, potassium and vitamins A, C and E in their diets. In addition, certain populations have low intakes of other critical nutrients, such as iron and vitamins B12 and D. Everyone could eat more fiber, as well. Pears are a healthy source of many of these missing nutrients! Click here to review the study, or read the USDA press release below: http://www.ars.usda.gov/SP2UserFiles/Place/12355000/pdf/usualintaketables2001-02.pdf

Agricultural Research Service Press release http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/pr/2005/050929.htm

Childhood Exposure to Second-Hand Smoke Has Long-Lasting Effects: Fruit Fiber May Help

A new study finds early life exposure to second-hand smoke can produce life-long respiratory problems. The study of 35,000 adult non-smokers in Singapore found that those who lived with a smoker during childhood had more respiratory problems, including chronic cough. Study participants who reported eating more fruit and soy fiber as adults seemed to be protected against some of the negative health effects often associated with early tobacco exposure. This study was conducted by researchers at the National Institute of Environmental Health Science, a division of the National Institute of Health, and was published in the Journal Thorax, August, 2005. (1) http://www.nih.gov/news/pr/aug2005/niehs-30.htm

Fruits, Vegetables May Help Prevent Pancreatic Cancer

Eat more fruits and vegetables and you may potentially lower your risk for pancreatic cancer, a new study in Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers and Prevention suggests. Researchers at University of California at San Francisco compared fruit and vegetable consumption of 532 individuals with pancreatic cancer to that of 1,701 controls of the same age and gender. Those who consumed more than 9 servings per day of vegetables and fruits had a 51 percent lower risk of developing pancreatic cancer compared to those who consumed less than 5 total servings per day. Published in the Journal, Cancer, Epidemiology Biomarkers and Prevention (2). http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=16172215&query_hl=1

Fruit and the brain: The more the better!

Many studies have shown that eating fruits and vegetables reduces the risk of suffering from heart disease and some cancers. In the October 2005 issue of Neurology, a group of physicians in France looked for evidence that eating fruits and vegetables also decreases the risk of suffering stroke. The researchers performed a meta-analysis of seven studies and concluded that eating fruit reduced the risk of having a stroke. Each additional serving of fruit consumed per day decreased the risk of stroke by 11%. American Academy of Neurology, October, 2005. http://www.neurology.org/cgi/content/full/65/8/E17

More fiber may help women stay slim, say researchers

Dieters are bombarded with messages about low-carb, high-protein and low-fat approaches to weight loss, but new research from Tufts University suggests that they should also consider placing greater emphasis on fiber in their diet. For BMIIn a study published in the September issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, researchers set out to examine the association between variables in the diet and body mass index (BMI), the most common measurement of overweight (BMI over 25) and obesity (over 30). (3) http://www.adajournal.org/article/PIIS0002822305010266/abstract

Weight Loss Associated with a Daily Intake of Three Apples or Three Pears Among Overweight Women in Brazil

Researchers at the State University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, investigated the effect of fruit intake on body weight change. In the study, 411 overweight women were given a supplement of a fruit (apple or pear) or a cookie at three of six daily meals. The meals were designed by dietitian to encourage weight loss, and were consistent across all subjects, with the fruit or cookie supplement measured for effect on weight. At the end of the study, the fruit group lost more weight than the cookie eaters. The researchers conclude that intake of fruits may contribute to weight loss. (4) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov (Medline)

Fiber Fights Fat

A study of 2900 healthy adults found that dietary fiber intake was associated with lower levels of body weight, body-mass index, weight gain, fasting insulin, blood pressure, triglycerides, LDL-cholesterol, and fibrinogen (a blood clotting factor). Lower levels are desirable for lowering risk of chronic diseases. The amount and type of fat in the diet had no effect in this analysis.
http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/short/282/16/1539


Daily Vitamin C to cut heart disease and diabetes, new findings

Vitamin C breaks boundaries with a new study showing for the first time that the vitamin reduces levels of C-reactive protein (CRP), a marker of inflammation and chronic disease risk in humans. These findings could provide additional tools to beat heart disease and diabetes. The study, published in the April issue of the Journal of the American College of Nutrition is the first time vitamin C has been shown to decrease levels of CRP, a biomarker that has garnered increasing attention among health researchers in recent years.
http://foodnavigator.com/news/ng.asp?n=wh16&c=vfgmiacrtydidgb&id=51343

Consuming Fruit May Promote Eye Health

A study suggests that eating three or more servings of fruit per day may reduce the risk of developing age-related maculopathy (ARM), or macular degeneration, the leading cause of vision loss among elders. Because the disease is not curable and late stages are not treatable, prevention is key to reducing the impact of this disease. the prospective study from the Brigham and Women's Hospital followed more than 120,000 men and women from the Nurse's Health Study and the Health professionals' Follow-Up Study for 12-18 years; study participants were at least 50 years old and were initially ARM-free when the study began. Authors attribute the potential protective effect to the synergistic effect of whole foos rather than dietary supplements. (Journal of American Medical Association, Archive of Opthomology, June 2004)


Research Finds Eating Produce May Help Avoid Cataracts

Eating lots of fruits and vegetables may help avoid cataracts, according to research published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Scientists followed more than 35,000 female health professionals for a decade. In 1993, the women filled out questionnaires covering the foods they'd eaten in the previous year. None had cataracts at that time. Over 10 years, the group had a total of 2,067 cataract cases. The women who ate the most fruits and vegetables were 10 to 15% less likely to be in that group. (American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vol. 81, No. 6, 1417-1422, June 2005)
http://my.webmd.com/content/article/107/108588.htm

References
1. Childhood exposure to environmental tobacco smoke and chronic respiratory symptoms in nonsmoking adults: The Singapore Chinese health study. David, Gloria L., Koy, Woon-Puay, Lee, Hin-Peng, Yu, Mimi C., and London, Stephanie J. Thorax Online, 30 Aug. 2005, doi:10.1135/thx.2005.042960
2. Vegetable and fruit intake and pancreatic cancer in a population-based case-control study in the San Francisco bay area. Chan, JM, Wang, F, Holly, EA, Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers and Prevention, September 2005; vol. 14, no.9, pp. 2093-7.
3. Dietary Fiber and Fat are Associated with Excess Weight in Young and Middle-Aged Adults. Howarth, N., Huang, T., Roberts, S., McCrory, M. Journal of the American Dietetics Association. Vol. 105, Issue 9, pp. 1365-1372, September, 2005.
4. Weight loss associated with a daily intake of three apples or three pears among overweight women. Conceicao de Oliveira M, Sichieri R, Sanchez Moura A., Nutrition. 2003, Mar; 19(3):253-6.


Links to additional information

1. The Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion www.usda.gov/cnpp
2. The White House Health Initiative, "Healthier U.S." www.healthierus.gov
3. National Cancer Institute's 5-a-day-program www.5aday.gov
4. The Produce for Better Health Foundation www.5aday.com
5. The Produce Marketing Association www.aboutproduce.com
6. The National Institute of Health Information Site http://health.nih.gov/