It is thought that they started around 8,000 years ago in China. Peaches are related to almonds, plums, cherries, and apricots. Because the flesh of these fruits surrounds a shell that holds an edible seed, they are known as drupes or stone fruit.
They may be eaten raw or combined with other ingredients to make a variety of meals. Peaches are also nutritious and may offer a number of health benefits, including improved digestion, smoother skin, and relief from allergies.
1. Packed With Nutrients and Antioxidants
Peaches are rich in many vitamins, minerals, and beneficial plant compounds. One medium-sized peach (5.4 ounces or 150 grams) provides approximately:
- Calories: 58
- Protein: 1 gram
- Fat: less than 1
gram - Carbs: 14 grams
- Fiber: 2 grams
- Vitamin
C:
17% of the Daily Value (DV) - Vitamin
A:
10% of the DV - Potassium: 8% of the DV
- Niacin: 6% of the DV
- Vitamin
E:
5% of the DV - Vitamin
K:
5% of the DV - Copper: 5% of the DV
- Manganese: 5% of the DV
Peaches have reduced concentrations of iron, phosphorus, magnesium, and a few B vitamins.They also include beneficial plant compounds and antioxidants that prevent oxidative damage, aging, and disease. The fruit's antioxidant content increases with freshness and ripeness.
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2. May Aid Digestion
Peaches may promote good digestion.One medium-sized fruit has around 2 grams of fiber, half of which is soluble and the other half is insoluble.In contrast, soluble fiber feeds healthy microorganisms in your intestines. In turn, these bacteria create short-chain fatty acids like acetate, propionate, and butyrate, which fuel the cells in your gut.
Short-chain fatty acids in your stomach may also help reduce inflammation and relieve symptoms of digestive illnesses such as Crohn's disease, IBS, and ulcerative colitis.
Peach petals are another component of the fruit that may aid digestion. They are often used in traditional Chinese medicine to alleviate stomach issues.
3. May Improve Heart Health
Regular fruit consumption, including peaches, can help protect the heart. Peaches may lower blood pressure and cholesterol, two risk factors for heart disease. Moreover, research conducted in test tubes indicates that peaches might bind to bile acids, which are made by your liver from cholesterol. Peaches may improve blood pressure, triglyceride levels, total and "bad" LDL cholesterol levels, according to additional laboratory and animal study. Consuming fruit on a regular basis, especially peaches, may help heart health. Peaches may lower blood pressure and cholesterol, two risk factors for heart disease. Moreover, research conducted in test tubes indicates that peaches might bind to bile acids, which are made by your liver from cholesterol. Peaches may improve blood pressure, triglyceride levels, total and "bad" LDL cholesterol levels, according to additional laboratory and animal study.
4. May Protect Your Skin
Peaches could provide skin-healthy protecting qualities.Studies conducted in test tubes suggest that chemicals included in peaches might enhance your skin's capacity to retain moisture, hence enhancing the texture of your skin. Furthermore, research on animals and test tubes suggests that applying peach flesh or blossom extracts topically to the skin might help shield it from UV rays.
Additionally, it was discovered that peach blossom extracts prevented mice's skin cancers from growing. However, before any judgments are made, further human study is required.
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5. May Prevent Certain Types of Cancer
Like other fruits, peaches have healthy plant components that might help stave off some cancers.Carotenoids and caffeic acid, two antioxidants with anticancer properties, are present in peach peel and meat. Peach seed constituents have also been shown to limit the development of non-cancerous skin lesions and stop them from turning malignant in test tubes and on animals.
Not to add, polyphenols, a class of antioxidants that have been shown in lab tests to inhibit the growth and metastasis of cancer cells, are plentiful in peaches. Peach polyphenols may also be able to eliminate cancerous cells without harming healthy ones.
These polyphenols shown remarkable efficacy in preventing the development and metastasis of a particular kind of breast cancer in an animal experiment. According to researchers, a person would need to consume two to three peaches per day in order to consume the same amount of polyphenols as those used in the study.
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