A "pear" a day keeps the doctor away.

• Position: Diabetes - Brief article

While the phrase "an apple a day keeps the doctor away" is a popular saying, a study from North Dakota State University, Fargo, suggests that pears as part of a healthy diet could play a role in helping to manage type 2 diabetes and diabetes-induced hypertension.

Naturally occurring phenolic compounds found in fruits may provide a variety of health benefits. More varied and higher phenolic content is found in the skin of a pear than in its flesh or pulp. The study demonstrated that Starkrimson pear peels have the highest total phenolic content, and that peel extracts have significantly higher total phenolic content than pulp. The pulp extracts of Bartlett pear cultivar have higher total phenolics when compared with Starkrimson.

"Such dietary strategy involving fruits, including pears, not only potentially could help better control blood glucose levels, but reduce...