Pear Bureau Northwest has announced the latest findings of research into the benefits of a pear-enriched diet, including its potential to manage stomach-related diseases.
The findings of the research undertaken by North Dakota State University professor of plant science Kalidas Shetty found that compounds present in Bartlett and Starkrimson pear varieties could help manage chronic bacterial infection.
“It’s exciting to explore the potential that pears can have to balance beneficial bacterial activity in the digestive process, as gut health helps support overall health of the body,” said Shetty.
The study looked into the potential of Bartlett and Starkrimson pears’ ability to stomach-related diseases involving the common chronic bacterial infection H. pylori, without affecting “good” bacteria.
The research also looked into the effects of pear consumption on diet-linked non-communicable diseases, such as type-2 diabetes, and found that the phenolics and antioxidants in these pear varieties could help manage the early stages of hyperglycemia, as well as diabetes-induced hypertension.
The study, ‘Dietary functional benefits of Bartlett and Starkrimson pears for potential management of hyperglycemia, hypertension and ulcer bacteria Helicobacter pylori while supporting beneficial probiotic bacterial response,’ has been published by journal Food Research International, with funding support from Northwest pear growers.
At this stage, the research has only been undertaken in test tubes, and it is unknown whether the results would be replicated in humans.
