Persimmon has been regarded as the ‘’fruit of the Gods’’ by the ancient Greeks for good reason; it is small and low in calories yet serves vital contributions to many aspects of health, including bone health by promoting the maintenance and formation of strong, healthy bones, and even potentially decreasing the risk of osteoporosis.
Curious to find out how a small fruit that you may have never heard of until now can help strengthen bones and prevent them from breaking down? Or how many persimmons you would need to consume per day to reap its bone-protective benefits? Keep reading! This article aims to answer these questions as well as many others (I promise, they are interesting!).
Introduction
Overview
When it comes to the topic of bone health and the strategies we can implement to maintain it, most of us think of milk, dairy products, sunlight (vitamin D), and weight-bearing exercise. Although this is not incorrect, we have neglected to acknowledge another important part of the puzzle: fruit and vegetables.1 Indeed, fruit and vegetables are jam-packed with vitamins and minerals that are essential for maintaining bone health and promoting strong, healthy bones. One of these fruits is persimmon.
What is persimmon?
Also known as ‘’Kaki’’, ‘’Sharon fruit’’, ‘‘Caqui’’, and ‘’Japanese persimmon’’, persimmon (Diospyros kaki L.) is an exotic fruit of the Diospyros genus that resembles a tomato in shape, size, and appearance, but is orange in colour.2
Persimmon is cultivated in the mountainous and tropical regions of Asian countries, mainly in China where over 72.3-74% (3.93 million tons!) of the persimmons available worldwide are produced.2,3 It is produced in lesser amounts in New Zealand, Brazil, Turkey, Italy, and Chile, and mainly exported within Europe from Spain.2,3
Persimmon’s leaves, in particular, (known as ‘’Shi Ye’’ in Chinese) have been used for centuries as a herbal medicine to treat a wide variety of ailments and diseases including cough, constipation, frostbite, burns, and even paralysis.4 As such, persimmons were deemed ‘’the fruit of the Gods’’ by Ancient Greeks and are still used to this day in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) for health purposes.3
Why is maintaining bone health important?
Maintaining bone health is of critical importance because we need strong, healthy bones to carry out all the activities we do in our daily lives, from walking and moving to chewing food and carrying heavy equipment.5 Bones also provide shape and structure to our bodies as well as help protect bodily organs including the brain (skull), heart, and lungs (ribcage) from injury.
Having weak bones increases the risk of developing osteoporosis, which is a disease that causes bones to become so brittle and fragile that they eventually break, resulting in fractures.5
Persimmons and bone health
Despite its small size and low caloric density (only 118 calories), 1 raw Japanese persimmon weighing roughly 168g and with a diameter of 2 ½ contains the following concentration of key nutrients that are essential for bone health:1,6
- Calcium: 13.4 mg
- Magnesium: 15.1 mg
- Vitamin K (phylloquinone): 4.37 𝝻g
- Vitamin C (total ascorbic acid): 12.6 mg
Calcium and persimmons
Although persimmons are no match to the calcium content found in a glass of milk (roughly 350 mg) and over 90 persimmons would need to be consumed to reach the recommended daily dietary calcium intake (1200 mg), a calcium concentration of 13.4 mg is quite decent for a small fruit.7 In fact, persimmons have one of the highest calcium contents of all fruits and up to 12.1% of the daily recommended calcium dietary intake can be easily obtained by consuming just 1 persimmon (roughly 263.32g).1,2
Calcium is particularly important for bone health because it acts as an essential component of bones.5 It works alongside another major bone constituent called collagen (a protein that forms a soft, and flexible matrix or framework, much like a mesh) to keep bones strong and dense yet flexible to allow for movement and provide functional support under stress.
Magnesium and persimmons
With over 300 chemical reactions in the human body requiring magnesium as a cofactor (a chemical that some enzymes cannot function without), magnesium is a mineral that no one wants to be deficient in.1
Not only that, but magnesium helps increase calcium absorption (bioavailability), which is especially important in the context of bone health. Thankfully, persimmons are a good source of magnesium, contributing to over 14.7% of the recommended daily dietary magnesium intake, which is approximately 320 mg for women and 420 mg for men.2,7
Vitamin K and persimmons
Contrary to popular belief, not only does vitamin K play a vital role in promoting blood coagulation (blood clotting), but it also helps build new bones and thus, prevent osteoporosis by regulating the activity of certain cells called osteoblasts (form new bones) and osteoclasts (break down old bones).1
Consuming just 1 persimmon can help provide up to 46% of the recommended daily dietary vitamin K intake (roughly 263.32 g), which is approximately 90 𝝻g and 120 𝝻g for women and men, respectively.2,7
Antioxidants and bone health
In addition to its known vital roles in immunity, wound healing, and skin anti-ageing, vitamin C helps increase bone mineral density and bone strength partly by promoting collagen formation.7 Collagen keeps bones strong and flexible.
Impressively, a persimmon weighing approximately 263.32 g contains over 15.21 - 33.74% of the recommended daily dietary intake of vitamin C (75 mg and 90 mg for women and men, respectively)7, and is even considered to be a superior vitamin C source to apples, pears, plums, grapes, figs, and eggplant.2
Scientific studies and evidence
Overview of relevant research
Most of the health benefits persimmons provide have been demonstrated to be mainly attributed to the bioactive polyphenolic plant compounds persimmon’s leaves contain including flavonoids, terpenoids, cryptoxanthin, and polysaccharides.4
Unfortunately, compared to the other health benefits persimmon leaves provide, including their potential to delay ageing as well as prevent and reduce the risk of chronic diseases including cancer, diabetes, and obesity, little to no research is available supporting their role in bone health.3
Relevant research on persimmon’s role in bone health
To the best of the author’s knowledge, only one study is currently available demonstrating the potential of persimmon leaves in reducing the risk of postmenopausal osteoporosis.4 In the study, scientists used ovariectomised (OVX) female mice that had their ovaries surgically removed to mimic postmenopausal osteoporosis symptoms in women. The polysaccharides in persimmon leaves, in particular, were found to prevent bone breakdown (bone resorption) by inhibiting the expression of osteoclast genes.
Implications and importance of findings
The findings of the study are promising with significant physiological, pathophysiological and even pharmacological value, suggesting that persimmon leaves may be used as a ‘natural’ method to prevent postmenopausal osteoporosis and potentially, other debilitating bone-related diseases including rheumatoid arthritis, and periodontitis (gum disease).
Limitations and areas for further research
Despite these promising findings, there are many limitations within the study, the main being that the study was conducted on mice, solely from the female sex, and not humans. This narrows the implications and decreases the quality and significance of the findings.
Drawing conclusions from just one study is also not sensible. Further research is definitely needed in order to support and replicate the findings.
Potential side effects
Only 1 persimmon (around 100g) is recommended per day to reap its bone-protective benefits. Consuming over this recommended amount is not advised.6 In fact, excessive consumption of ripe persimmons, in particular, has been reported to cause severe constipation, nausea, vomiting, and even small bowel and stomach obstruction.8,9
Ripe persimmons contain a high amount of tannins which can interact with the stomach acid and form hard masses that block the GI tract (phytobezoars). Therefore, children with constipation are strongly advised to avoid persimmon, ripe or otherwise.9
Synergies with other ‘’bone-boosting’’ foods
In the context of health, there is no one food that can improve health and prevent disease, regardless of how high and impressive its nutritional content is. The so-called ‘’fruit of the Gods’’ is no exception.
As mentioned above, a combination of nutrients is required to maintain and build strong, healthy bones. Calcium, the ‘building block’ of bones, works in synergy with magnesium, vitamin K, and vitamin D to maintain bone health, and requires these nutrients to be efficiently absorbed and utilised by the body.5 Persimmons are completely devoid of vitamin D in contrast to oily fish such as salmon, sardines, and mackerel which are considered the best dietary sources of vitamin D.6,7
Additionally, the bioavailability of the bone-protective nutrients found in persimmon, mainly calcium, magnesium, and vitamin K, is much lower than that of milk, dairy products, fortified foods, and leafy greens7; it would require many persimmons to be consumed to absorb the same concentration of nutrients (not advised!).
Key takeaway
To reap the most synergetic bone-protective effects of the calcium, magnesium, and vitamin K found in persimmons, persimmons should be incorporated into a diet that is rich in other ‘’bone-boosting’’ foods such as oily fish (vitamin D), dairy products or dairy-free calcium-fortified alternatives (calcium), leafy greens (vitamin K), nuts (magnesium), and oranges (vitamin C).7
Lifestyle factors affecting bone health
Diet is not the only major factor that influences bone health. In fact, bone health is hugely impacted by other lifestyle factors including:7
- Physical activity: particularly resistance training (weight lifting) which affects bone health by influencing bone mineral density, muscle tone, as well as balance and coordination
- Sun exposure (vitamin D): sun exposure for as little as 15-20 minutes per day has a huge effect on bone health as it provides bones with the sufficient vitamin D levels (between 600-800 IU (International Units) per day for adults) they need that are very difficult to obtain from dietary sources alone
Summary
In conclusion, persimmon (Diospyros kaki L.), which is also referred to as ‘’Kaki’’, ‘’Sharon fruit’’, ‘‘Caqui’’, or ‘’Japanese persimmon’’, serves vital contributions to bone health by strengthening bones and potentially reducing the risk of osteoporosis, particularly in postmenopausal women.
The bone-protective benefits persimmon provides are mainly attributed to the polyphenolic plant compounds found in its leaves (called ‘’Shi Ye’’ in Chinese), as well as the impressive calcium, magnesium, vitamin K, and vitamin C content found in its skin and flesh.
Nutrients such as calcium, magnesium, vitamin D, and vitamin K work best in synergy when they are consumed together. Therefore, it is recommended that persimmons are incorporated into a diet which consists of other ‘bone-boosting’ foods such as oily fish (vitamin D), leafy greens (vitamin K), dairy products or calcium-fortified dairy-free alternatives (calcium), and oranges or broccoli (vitamin C).
Despite its promising roles in bone health, it is important to note that persimmon alone, just like any other food, cannot build or maintain strong and healthy bones. More than 1 persimmon per day (recommended serving size) would need to be consumed to reach the recommended daily dietary intake of calcium, magnesium, and vitamin K, which is not recommended as it can lead to severe GI issues.
References
- BONE & JOINT. Fruits and vegetables are good for our bones [Internet]. [cited 2024 January 23]. Available from: https://bonejoint.net/blog/fruits-and-vegetables-are-good-for-our-bones/
- Domínguez Díaz L, Dorta E, Maher S, Morales P, Fernández-Ruiz V, Cámara M, Sánchez-Mata MC. Potential Nutrition and Health Claims in Deastringed Persimmon Fruits (Diospyros kaki L.), Variety 'Rojo Brillante', PDO 'Ribera del Xúquer'. Nutrients. 2020 May 13;12(5):1397. doi: 10.3390/nu12051397.
- Choudhary, Rita & Singh, Anurag & Upadhyay, Ashutosh & Singh, Rakhi & S., Thangalakshmi & Dar, Aamir & Bajpai, Vivek K. & Shukla, Shruti. (2022). Exotic god fruit, persimmon (Diospyros kaki): Pharmacological importance and human health aspects. eFood. 4. doi: https://doi.org/10.1002/efd2.52
- Hwang YH, Ha H, Kim R, Cho CW, Song YR, Hong HD, Kim T. Anti-Osteoporotic Effects of Polysaccharides Isolated from Persimmon Leaves via Osteoclastogenesis Inhibition. Nutrients. 2018 Jul 13;10(7):901. doi: 10.3390/nu10070901.
- National Institute of Arthritis and Muscoloskeletal and Skin Diseases. Healthy Bones Matter [Internet]. [cited 2024 January 23]. Available from: https://www.niams.nih.gov/health-topics/kids/healthy-bones#:~:text=Bones%20support%20your%20body%20and,that%20adds%20strength%20and%20hardness.
- U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). Persimmons, japanese, raw [Internet]. [cited 2024 January 23]. Available from: https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/169941/nutrients
- Price CT, Langford JR, Liporace FA. Essential Nutrients for Bone Health and a Review of their Availability in the Average North American Diet. Open Orthop J. 2012;6:143-9. doi: 10.2174/1874325001206010143.
- Teng TZJ, Tan YP, Shelat VG. Persimmon fruit causing simultaneous small bowel and stomach obstruction. Singapore Med J. 2019 Oct;60(10):550. doi: 10.11622/smedj.2019132.
- Bae SH. Diets for constipation. Pediatr Gastroenterol Hepatol Nutr. 2014 Dec;17(4):203-8. doi: 10.5223/pghn.2014.17.4.203.