A BOUNTY OF BETA-CAROTENE
Protect the eyes
Prevent heart disease
Prevent cancer
When you think of Chinese food, apricots might not be the first item that comes to mind. But food historians think that apricots were first cultivated in China more than 4,000 years ago! The tasty fruit spread through the Middle East and the Mediterranean in ancient times, and now it’s grown in Europe, Africa, Australia, and America, too.
Not only is this sweet, velvety fruit a delicious treat, but it’s also loaded with a variety of compounds that research shows can fight infections, blindness, and heart disease.
Most of apricots’ health benefits are due to their copious and exceptionally diverse carotenoid content. Carotenoids are the pigments in plants that paint many of our favorite fruits and vegetables red, orange, and yellow. In humans, they have a wide range of health-protecting properties. Researchers have identified more than 600 different carotenoids, with some of the most powerful, including beta-carotene, being found in apricots.
“Apricots are one of the best foods to look to for carotenoids,” says Ritva Butrum, PhD, senior science advisor at the American Institute for Cancer Research in Washington, D.C.
The apricot’s unique mix of healing compounds makes this food a powerful ally in fighting heart disease. Along with beta-carotene, apricots contain another carotenoid called lycopene, and both compounds have been shown in studies to fight the process by which the dangerous low-density lipoprotein (LDL) form of cholesterol becomes oxidized, or altered by free radicals. This is important because experts consider oxidized LDL to be a major player in atherosclerosis, which stiffens and narrows arteries, such as the ones supplying your heart.
A Japanese study that followed more than 3,000 men and women for nearly 12 years found that those with high levels of carotenoids, such as beta-carotene and lycopene, were less likely to die of cardiovascular disease.
Another study, which followed more than 73,000 American women for 12 years, found that those whose diets provided the most beta-and alpha-carotene had significantly less risk of coronary artery disease. Yet another study, this time following nearly 5,000 Dutch men and women for 4 years, found that those with the most beta-carotene in their diets had a significantly lower risk of heart attack.
Although tomatoes (more specifically, processed tomato products) seem to provide more than 85 percent of the lycopene in Americans’ diets, apricots are another source of this carotenoid. Lycopene is one of the most potent antioxidants that experts know about. It could help prevent cancer by protecting your cells’ DNA from free-radical attacks. (Its antioxidant properties explain why it might also be helpful in preventing the atherosclerosis involved in cardiovascular disease.)
Research looking at the possible role of lycopene in cancer prevention has focused on tomatoes and prostate cancer. A meta-analysis—which synthesizes research results from a number of studies—found that men who ate a lot of cooked tomato products had 19 percent less risk of prostate cancer than men who seldom ate tomato products. So what does this have to do with apricots?
Although most of us eat apricots straight from the fruit bin, there are many other ways to prepare—and enjoy—these little golden gems.
Grill them. Grilled apricots take on a smoky, slightly sweet flavor as the sugars caramelize. Simply thread whole or halved fresh apricots on skewers, brush with honey, and cook for 7 to 10 minutes, turning frequently.
Broil them. To cook apricots indoors, cut the fruit in half, brush with honey, and broil in the oven, cut side up.
Poach them. Poached apricots are a great way to warm up a cool evening. Put fruit juice and whole cloves or a cinnamon stick in a small saucepan, and bring to a simmer. Add whole or halved apricots, and cook for 6 to 8 minutes. Remove the apricots, and continue cooking the sauce until it thickens. Then use it as topping for the apricots.
Slip them into a recipe. Health-savvy cooks know that they can use applesauce in some baked goods in place of some of the oil called for in the recipe. The next time you reach for the applesauce in one of these instances, use apricot purée instead. Just run some canned apricots through a food processor or blender until they’re smooth.
Researchers point out that the protective effects from tomatoes could come from other components in them. If you enjoy the taste of apricots anyway, the knowledge that the lycopene within them might be helpful for fighting cancer makes them even sweeter.
You don’t have to seek out fresh apricots to enjoy their benefits—dried or canned versions are quite nutritious, too, says Adel Kader, PhD, professor of post-harvest physiology in the department of plant science at University of California, Davis. According to the USDA, five raw apricots contain 3,370 IU of vitamin A and 1,915 micrograms of beta-carotene. A half-cup of canned apricots contains 2,063 IU of vitamin A, and 1,232 micrograms of beta-carotene. And 10 dried apricot halves contain 1,261 IU of vitamin A and 757 micrograms of beta-carotene.
You can also get lots of vitamin A by eating apricots. (The beta-carotene in apricots is converted to vitamin A in the body.) This nutrient helps protect the eyes, and as it turns out, the eyes need all the help they can get.
Every time light passes through the eyes, it triggers the release of tissue-damaging free radicals. Left unchecked, these destructive oxygen molecules attack and damage the lenses of the eyes, possibly setting the stage for cataracts. Free radicals can also attack blood vessels supplying the central portions of the retinas, called the maculas. If the blood supply gets cut off, the result can be macular degeneration, the leading cause of vision loss in older adults.
Vitamin A has been shown in studies to be a powerful antioxidant—that is, it helps block the effects of free radicals. A study of more than 50,000 nurses, for example, found that women who got the most vitamin A in their diets reduced their risk of getting cataracts by more than one-third. Three apricots provide 2,769 IU of vitamin A, 55 percent of the Daily Value (DV) for this vitamin.
It’s almost impossible to exaggerate the benefits of getting enough fiber in your diet. High-fiber foods can help you lose weight, control high blood sugar, and lower cholesterol levels. They’re also essential for keeping digestion regular.
So here’s another reason to add apricots to your fruit bowl. Three fruits contain 3 grams of fiber, 12 percent of the DV. Better yet, that’s at a minimal calorie cost—just 51 calories for all three. When you’re eating apricots for fiber, however, be sure to eat the skin, which contains a substantial amount of the fruit’s fiber.
Eat them firm. Even if you enjoy your fruit nice and soft, it’s best to eat apricots while they’re still slightly firm. Apricots contain the most nutrients when they’re at their peak of ripeness; once they start getting soft, these compounds quickly begin to break down.
The idea that apricot pits could be used as medicine dates back to the 1920s, when Dr. Ernst T. Krebs put forth a theory that amygdalin, a compound found in apricot pits that is converted to cyanide in the body, could destroy cancer cells.
Some 30 years later, his son reformulated the extract and named it Laetrile. By the 1970s, people with cancer who felt that they couldn’t be helped by modern medicine were traveling to obscure clinics and paying exorbitant prices for this new “miracle” cure. So popular was Laetrile that at one time, it was available in health food stores in 27 states.
Today, Laetrile is not approved by the FDA, although it’s readily available in Mexico and other countries. Actor Steve McQueen was treated with the drug in a Mexican clinic shortly before he died of cancer. Does Laetrile work? According to most experts, the answer is an emphatic no.
“Laetrile is not only useless but also potentially fatal,” says Maurie Markman, MD, vice president of clinical research at the M. D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. Indeed, a study at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, found that Laetrile frequently caused nausea, vomiting, headache, and other symptoms of cyanide poisoning.
Laetrile is dangerous for another reason, Dr. Markman adds. Some people depend on it instead of turning to a safer and more effective cancer therapy.
Shop for color. Unlike most fruits, apricots can be yellow or orange and still be ripe. Both colors are acceptable when you’re trying to get the most healing benefits. However, apricots that have green in them were picked early and may never ripen, which means that you lose out on much of their healing goodness.
Store them carefully. It’s important to keep apricots cool to prevent them from getting overripe. Unless you’re going to eat them within a day or two, it’s best to store them in the fruit bin in the refrigerator, where they’ll keep for about a week.
Here’s another storage tip. Because apricots are such a soft, delicate fruit, they readily pick up flavors—from other fruits they’re stored with, for example, or even from refrigerator smells. It’s a good idea to store them in a paper or plastic bag.
Place the apricots, mangoes, milk or yogurt, lemon juice, and vanilla extract in a blender. Process for 8 seconds. Add the ice cubes, and process 6 to 8 seconds longer, or until smooth.
Pour into tall glasses, garnish with lemon twists, if desired, and serve immediately.
Makes 2 servings (12 ounces each)
Calories: 213
Total fat: 1.7 g
Saturated fat: 0.9 g
Cholesterol: 6 mg
Sodium: 84 mg
Dietary fiber: 5.5 g