This delicious summer fruit adds exotic sweetness to fruit salads and makes an excellent dessert or smoothie when mixed with yogurt. The health benefits of peaches include healthy eyesight, cancer prevention and lung health.
Peach Nutrition
Peaches are an excellent source of vitamin A in the form of beta-carotene and 1 peach contains about 10% of the daily value. Peaches are also rich in vitamin C (20% of the value per cup). They are also a good source of magnesium, potassium and copper.
Peaches promote good vision and prevention of night blindness
Carotenoids in peaches help promote good vision and are particularly good for boosting night vision. Beta-carotene has the potential to be converted to vitamin A, which helps with the production of rhodopsin, the night vision pigment in the retina of the eye. Beta-carotene can also help prevent cataracts and delay macular degeneration.
Peaches and Cancer Prevention
Carotenoids have been found to offer protection against certain cancers, namely bladder, cervix, colon, prostate and lung cancers.
Peaches for Lung Health
Beta-carotene has been shown to help protect the lungs from disease and studies have shown that people with emphysema have vitamin A deficiencies.
