Pears provide a variety of the nutrients necessary to lead a healthy lifestyle. Pears are an excellent source of fiber, with each medium-sized fruit providing about 21% of the Daily Value. Research supported by Pear Bureau Northwest indicates that fresh pear consumers had a better nutrition profile when compared with consumers who didn’t eat fresh pears. For example, pear consumers ate more dietary fiber, vitamin C, copper, magnesium, and potassium. Fresh pear consumers also had lower intakes of added sugars, total fat, monounsaturated fat, and saturated fat (1). Fiber is an important preventive agent against many chronic diseases, and it plays a beneficial role in glucose metabolism and diabetes management (2).
Pears have vitamin C, an important antioxidant necessary for bone and tissue health (3), and prevention of cardiovascular disease and various cancers (4). Pears are also a natural source of other antioxidants, which, according to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, are important in the prevention of cardiovascular disease, cancer and diabetes, and may improve immune function and lower risk for infection (5). People who eat lots of anthocyanin-rich fruits, such as pears, have a lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes, according to a Harvard study which included about 200,000 men and women (6). Also, pears, like most fruits, are a fat-free, nutrient-dense food that can help fill you up and keep you satisfied. According to the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, as part of a healthy diet, dietary fiber from fruits also helps reduce blood cholesterol levels and may lower risk of heart disease.
For more information on how including pears in an overall healthy diet can help you live a healthier life, read below: