APRICOTS HEALTH BENEFITS MINERALS
Name : Apricot
Scientific Name : Prunus armeniaca
HEALTH BENEFITS:
Fresh fruits are low in calories, composing just 50 calories per 100 g weight. Nonetheless, they are rich source of dietary fiber, antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals. The fruits are enriched with numerous health promoting phyto-chemicals; that helps prevent heart disease, reduce LDL, ("bad cholesterol") levels and offer protection against cancers.
Apricots are excellent sources of vitamin-A, and carotenes. 100 g fresh fruits carry 1926 IU or 64% of daily-required levels of vitamin A. Both of these compounds are known to have antioxidant properties and are essential for vision. Vitamin-A is also required for maintaining healthy mucusa and skin. Consumption of natural fruits rich in carotenes helps protect the body from lung and oral cavity cancers.
Fresh fruits contain vitamin-C, another natural anti-oxidant. Vitamin-C helps the body develop resistance against infectious agents and scavenge harmful oxygen-free radicals.
They are an also good source of minerals such as potassium, iron, zinc, calcium and manganese. Potassium is a heart-healthy mineral; an important component of cell and body fluids that help regulate heart rate and blood pressure.
The total anti-oxidant or ORAC value of raw apricots is 1115 umol TE/100 g. Much of this in these fruits comes from some important health promoting flavonoid poly phenolic anti-oxidants such as lutein, zea xanthin and beta cryptoxanthin. Altogether, these compounds act as protective scavengers against oxygen-derived free radicals and reactive oxygen species (ROS) that play a role in aging, cancers and various disease process.
Further, zea-xanthin, a carotenoid selectively absorbed into the retinal "macula lutea" in the eyes where it is thought to provide anti-oxidant and protective light-filtering functions. Thus, consumption of fruits like apricots rich in zea-xanthin helps eyes protect from age-related macular disease (AMRD), especially in the elderly people.
MINERALS:
Nutritive Value per 100 g
|
PRINCIPLE |
NUTRIENT VALUE |
PERCENTAGE OF RDA |
|
Energy |
50 Kcal |
2.5% |
|
Carbohydrates |
11 g |
8.5% |
|
Protein |
1.4 g |
2.5% |
|
Total Fat |
0.4 g |
1% |
|
Cholesterol |
0 mg |
0% |
|
Dietary Fiber |
2 g |
5% |
|
VITAMINS |
||
|
Folates |
9 µg |
2% |
|
Niacin |
0.600 mg |
4% |
|
Pantothenic acid |
0.240 mg |
5% |
|
Pyridoxine |
0.054 mg |
5% |
|
Riboflavin |
0.040 mg |
3% |
|
Thiamin |
0.030 mg |
2.5% |
|
Vitamin A |
1926 IU |
64% |
|
Vitamin C |
10 mg |
16% |
|
Vitamin E |
0 mg |
0% |
|
Vitamin K |
3.3 µg |
3% |
|
ELECTROLYTES |
||
|
Sodium |
1 mg |
0% |
|
Potassium |
259 mg |
5.5% |
|
MINERALS |
||
|
Calcium |
13 mg |
1.3% |
|
COPPER |
||
|
Iron |
0.39 mg |
5% |
|
Magnesium |
10 mg |
2.5% |
|
Manganese |
0.077 mg |
3% |
|
Phosphorus |
23 mg |
3% |
|
Zinc |
0.2 mg |
2% |
|
PHYTO-NUTRIENTS |
||
|
Carotene-a |
19 µg |
-- |
|
Carotene--ß |
1094 µg |
-- |
|
Crypto-xanthin-ß |
104 µg |
-- |
|
Lutein-zeaxanthin |
89 µg |
-- |
