Lower body weight with pears

Dr Carol O’Neil shares outcomes from her studies on the nutritional benefits of consuming fresh pears

Although little is talked about the health outcomes associated with individual fruits, including pears, a study conducted dealt with the consumption of fresh pears and its nutrient benefits specifically for lower body weight among adults.

New information has been revealed regarding the health benefits of pear consumption. The growing rates of obesity world over are alarming, and the study found that adult pear consumers had a lower body weight than those who don’t consume pears. The non-pear consumers were 35 per cent less likely to be obese.

Dr Carol O’Neil used a nationally representative analytic sample to examine the association of fresh pear consumption with nutrient adequacy, diet quality, and cardiovascular risk factors among adults. “The association between pears and lower body weight is very exciting,” said Dr Carol O’Neil of the Louisiana State University Agricultural Center.

“We believe fiber intake may have driven the lower body weights that were seen in this study because there was no difference in energy intake or level of physical activity found between the fresh pear consumers and non-consumers.”

In addition to discovering the above correlation she says that pears lend to a higher diet quality (as defined by the Healthy Eating Index). One medium fresh pear per day has positive effects on consumers because we otherwise have higher intakes of dietary fiber, vitamin C, magnesium, and even higher intakes of sugars.

Consumers of fresh pears end up having lower intakes of total monounsaturated fatty acids, saturated fatty acids, and added sugars. The benefits of pears are that they are an excellent source of fiber and a good source of vitamin C – perhaps the best choice to beat any weight woes. These juicy fruits are also sodium-free, cholesterol-free, fat-free and contain 190 mg of potassium – a win-win in every way!