Nectarines, plums, peaches may fight obesity, diabetes

Stone fruits, also known as drupes, such as nectarines, plums and peaches, may contain useful compounds that help fight-off metabolic syndrome, which can lead to diabetes, heart attack and stroke, say researchers from Texas AgriLife Research, a member of Texas A & M University System. Food scientist, Luis Cisneros-Zevallos and team showed that compounds that exist in stone fruits could be useful in the fight against metabolic syndrome, in which inflammation and obesity eventually lead to serious illnesses and health problems. Cisneros-Zevallos said, “In recent years obesity has become a major concern in society because of the health problems associated to it. In the US, statistics show that around 30 per cent of the population is overweight or obese, and these cases are increasing every year in alarming numbers.”

 

Everyone now knows that diet, genetics, lack of sleep, and physical inactivity play a major role in the obesity epidemic. The main concern is obesity’s association with metabolic syndrome. Metabolic syndrome is a collection of conditions, including high blood sugar levels, hypertension (high blood pressure,) too much fat around the waist, and excessively high cholesterol levels—together, they considerably raise the risk of developing diabetes, having a stroke, or a heart attack. “Our studies have shown that stone fruits—peaches, plums and nectarines—have bioactive compounds that can potentially fight the syndrome,” he said. “Our work indicates that phenolic compounds present in these fruits have anti-obesity, anti-inflammatory and anti-diabetic properties in different cell lines and may also reduce the oxidation of bad cholesterol LDL which is associated to cardiovascular disease.” (Medical News Today)