Health Benefits & Concerns for Fruits

 Health Benefits & Concerns for Fruits

Asthma

Vitamin C. present in fruits, is a powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory agent. Its anti-inflammatory activity may decrease the incidence of asthma symptoms. A large preliminary study has shown that young children with asthma experience significantly less wheezing if they eat a diet high in fruits rich in vitamin C.

Atherosclerosis

A diet high in fiber prevents coronary heart disease. Eating fruits high in the soluble fiber pectin has also been linked with reduced cholesterol levels, which protects against atherosclerosis.

Athletic performance

Carbohydrates are the most efficient fuel for energy production and can also be stored as glycogen in muscle and liver, functioning as a readily available energy source for prolonged, strenuous exercise. For these reasons, carbohydrates may be the most important nutrient for sports performance. Depending on training intensity and duration, athletes require up to 4.5 grams of carbohydrates per day per pound of body

weight or 60-70% of total dietary calories from carbohydrates, whichever is greater. Emphasizing intake of fruits and other high-quality carbohydrates while reducing intake of fatty foods may be for athletic performance.

Bronchitis

A diet high in antioxidants may

protect against the free-radical-damaging effect of environmental toxins or cigarette smoke. Studies comparing different populations have shown that increasing fruit consumption may reduce the risk of developing chronic bronchitis.

Bruising

Many Americans eat insufficient

amounts of foods containing vitamin C; the disease caused by vitamin C deficiency, scurvy, causes easy bruising. While very few people actually have scurvy, even minor deficiencies of vitamin C can increase bruising. People who experience easy bruising may want to try eating more fruits-common dietary sources of vitamin C. The diet can be assessed by doctors by using a diet diary, sometimes accompanied by computerized diet analysis. A diet diary is a written record of what and how much a person is eating, usually divided into sections by meal and/or day. As used by many doctors, diet

diaries lasting one week are most common. If such an analysis reveals a lack of dietary vitamin C and flavonoids (related compounds present in most fruit), the diet requires more fruits and vegetables to correct the problem.

Cancer

Consumption of fruits is widely accepted as lowering the risk of most common cancers except prostate cancer. A meta-analysis of studies on breast cancer risk and diet found that high consumption of fruit was associated with a 6% reduction of breast cancer compared to low consumption in 12 studies. Many doctors recommend that people wishing to reduce their risk of cancer eat several pieces of fruit and several portions of vegetables every day. Optimal intakes remain unknown.

Capillary Fragility

Eating plenty of fruit will provide more of the nutrients mentioned in the following paragraph that support the structure of capillaries.

Patients undergoing dialysis may develop low levels of vitamin C, which can lead to capillary fragility. As little as 100 mg per day may help people with artificially induced fragility, an amount that can be obtained by eating several pieces of fruit per day. For others, higher amounts may be necessary (1gram or more), which requires vitamin C supplementation.

Widespread plant compounds called flavonoids help strengthen weakened capillaries. In test tube and animal studies, they have been shown to protect collagen, one of the most important components of capillary walls. Flavonoids are abundant in fruits, although increasing fruit consumption alone may not be sufficient to prevent or reverse capillary fragility. Studies showing a benefit to capillary integrity from flavonoids have used dietary flavonoid supplements.

Cardiovascular disease

A diet high in fruits appears protective against heart disease. The total number of deaths from cardiovascular disease was significantly lower among men with high fruit consumption in one preliminary study.

A large study of male healthcare professionals found that those men eating mostly a "prudent" diet (high in fruits, vegetables, legumes, whole grains, fish, and poultry) had a 30% lower risk of heart attacks compared to men who ate the fewest foods in the "prudent" category.

Aparallel study of female healthcare professionals showed a 15% reduction in cardiovascular risk when they at a diet high in fruits and vegetables compared to the effect of a low fruit and vegetable diet.