Persimmon: Proven Benefits, Nutrition, and How to Eat It
The high vitamin A content of persimmons (such as fuyu or hachiya persimmons) means that they can help to protect your vision from age-related eye diseases.
One whole persimmon contains 55% of your daily vitamin A needs. Studies have shown that vitamin A is essential to protect the cells in your retina and eyes. Vitamin A helps all your visual processes and helps to prevent age-related macular degeneration. (15)
Other studies have shown that beta-carotene rich fruits such as persimmons should be included on a diet to help protect eyesight and good vision. (16)
Learn about other foods that are essential for good eyesight and can help prevent cataracts. You could also juice persimmons to help boost your vision.
Persimmon May Help Reduce Inflammation
Regularly consuming persimmons and other anti-inflammatory foods can help to lower chronic inflammation.
Short-term inflammation is necessary for your body to heal itself. However, long-term inflammation has been linked to chronic diseases such as arthritis, heart disease, cancer, and type 2 diabetes. (17)
Why are persimmon fruits good for lowering inflammation?
As already mentioned in this article, persimmons are one of the best fruits for getting ascorbic acid (vitamin C). Research has shown that ascorbic acid is necessary to boost the immune system and alleviate many inflammatory diseases. (18)
One of the unique nutritional benefits of persimmons is their high level of tannins. The journal PLoS One published a study showing the anti-inflammatory potential of persimmon tannins. In animal studies, tannins from persimmons helped to lower pro-inflammatory cytokines and reduce inflammation. (19)
The anti-inflammatory effect of persimmon fruits also benefits the liver and helps to reduce blood fat and bile acid absorption. (20)
Other studies have shown that therapeutic compounds in persimmon peel and fruit can help to reduce inflammatory processes and type 2 diabetes. (21)
If you are dealing with chronic inflammation, it is important to know which foods are good for you and which are not.
You could also add a few chunks of persimmon to make a delicious anti-inflammatory smoothie.
Persimmon Side Effects
Persimmon fruits are very healthy for you because they contain fiber, vitamins A and C, as well as a good amount of manganese. There are no known side effects from eating persimmons in reasonable food amounts.
Doctors from WebMD say that eating a lot of Japanese persimmons may lower blood pressure. So, if you take hypertension medication, you should closely monitor your blood pressure. (22)
