Introduction
You must have heard one British slang “It’s all gone pear-shaped”, but certainly there is nothing wrong with pears. In fact, pear therapies have been used to anti-asthma, relieve coughs and nourish lungs in China, South Korea and Japan for thousands of years.
Pears were officially recorded as a medicine to enhance the function of the lungs already before the 16th century in the Chinese Herbal Book by Ben Cao Gang Mu.1 The lungs are like air conditioners in the human body. If an air conditioner is overheated, it probably makes a noise and gives you a warning that something is going wrong.
So do the lungs! You may feel a sore or dry throat or even a cough. Based on the Yin-Yang Balance in the traditional Chinese medicine theory, “over-heated” lungs need “cold materials'' to cool them down.2 Pears are classified as a fruit with “cold” characteristics, which can treat the “heat” from the lungs and the stomach.
However, scientists have so far not been able to explain why it works. Perhaps we can look through the components of pears, and identify the nutrition contained in pears that benefit the health of lungs. Before we talk about the potential benefits of pears for respiratory health, let us figure out what is the respiratory system and what is a respiratory infection.
Understanding of the respiratory system
The respiration system is responsible for taking oxygen in and giving off carbon dioxide between the body and the environment. It is divided into upper and lower parts by the larynx, which is an important organ supporting us to breathe, speak, swallow, and so on. The larynx (vocal cord) is also a secondary sexual organ affected by sex hormones and may change during childhood, puberty, the menstrual cycle, pregnancy, and senescence.
Upper respiratory infection (URI)
An infection affects the upper parts of your respiratory system, including your nose, sinuses, pharynx (upper section of throat) and the larynx (vocal cord). An upper respiratory infection is a common condition in our lifespan, almost everyone has been through one or two of the following symptoms at least once:
- Common cold
- Runny nose
- Laryngitis (vocal cord infection)
- Pharyngitis (sore throat)
- Tonsillitis (back of your throat)
- Sinusitis (sinus infection)
Lower respiratory infection (LRI):
An infection affects the lower parts of your respiratory system, which are composed of the trachea (windpipe) and the lungs, the bronchi, the bronchus, and the alveoli. In general, lower respiratory infection is more serious and complicated than upper respiratory infection and can be severe or fatal. These infections can be:
- Pneumonia (a dangerous inflammation of the lungs)
- Chest infection (maybe caused by virus or bacteria)
- Bronchitis (an airway infection that causes coughing or fever)
Both types of respiration infection are contagious. People with infection symptoms can pass to others by coughing, sneezing, shaking hands, and sharing food or space.
Nutrition overview of pears
According to US Food Data Central, scientists have found eleven kinds of carbohydrates, 10 kinds of minerals, 15 kinds of vitamins and 18 kinds of amino acids in the fruit meat and skins of pears. Especially pears are rich in protein, vitamin C, vitamin A, glucose, and fructose, plus microelements such as calcium, iodine, carotene, and aspartic acid.
In the framework of A study investigating a specific type of pear, Pyrus nivalis, found that the extract of Pyrus nivalis increased the activity of immune cells in the lungs, therefore enhancing their resistance and immunity.3 Pears as the natural moisture supplement are high in fibre, however, water occupies most of the weight in its components.
Pear skin is more valuable than its fruit meat
The pear’s skin contains essential amino acids such as methionine and cystine, B6, which promote the synthesis of acetylcysteine in the natural process of metabolism. Acetylcysteine, also known as N-acetylcysteine (NAC), is a medication that is used to loosen thick mucus in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Smoking is a major factor in developing this type of respiration disease.4
Vitamin C, also called ascorbic acid, is a water-soluble antioxidant found in fruits and vegetables. It is an essential nutrient for health that protects cells against the effects of molecules, reducing the risk of chronic heart disease. In addition, vitamin C reduces the secretion of leukocyte (white ball cells) derived pro-inflammatory cytokines, such as Tumour Necrosis Factor Alpha (TNF-a) by regulating Nuclear Factor -kB, inhibits reactive oxygen species (ROS) related signalling, and reduces the production of inflammation.5
The skin of pears has anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial, and anti-oxidant effects, and is helpful against all lung and respiration disorders.
Ready to have a dessert after reading this article?
Rather than eating pears raw, a cooked pear works better with other ingredients to nourish the airway and lungs. There are many interesting recipes to incorporate pears into your dessert. Give it a go and try something new and healthy. You may benefit from it or simply taste the Orient. Some popular pear recipes have been used for decades to prevent or reduce sore and dry throats. Depending on which one matches with your preference, you can choose between:
Make pear into a beverage
- Chop pears into small pieces, and add red wine and honey into boiling water
- After the honey is entirely dissolved, add your chopped pear pieces to the mixture and boil for 10 to 15 minutes
- Then pour the chopped pears and beverage into a bottle or container, and it is ready to be drunk after cooling at an appropriate temperature
Poached pear rock bowl
- crosscut the top (around the first quarter) of a pear
- dispose of the pear stone
- add sweet jujube and honey into the hollow and a tablespoon
- put the top back to the pear and display it in a bowl
- poach on a steamer or any cooking machine at your convenience for 15 to 20 minutes, be aware when you take the poached ear rock bowl out of the steamer
- let them cool down before eating
Potential risks of edible excessive amounts of pears
Long-time uptake of high-sugar drinks can affect the immune system and hormone secretion negatively, inhibiting leukocyte activity. Pears are rich in fructose, which is 1.7 times sweeter than sucrose, and can increase oxidative metabolism, and protect the liver.
However, consuming too much fructose may potentially increase the burden on livers, therefore promoting the risk of weight gain. Nevertheless, diabetics are safe to have pears, as there is not enough evidence showing the fructose contained in pears could develop blood sugar disorders.6 Consuming a large amount of fructose, such as via dietary fructose within processed food, may cause adverse events in lipemia. In order to lower your possibility of experiencing the negative effects of using pears in your diet, here are some suggestions for you:
Considerations of medicine interaction with pears
Pears have a good amount of citric acid. Taking alkaline drugs with raw pear will cause a neutralisation reaction, therefore reducing the effect of the drug. In general, when we take medicines containing sodium bicarbonate or aluminium hydroxide, we should pay attention to eating pear one or two hours after taking the medicine.
Cautions of relying on pear therapies to treat respiratory infections
Although the benefits of having pears in your diet helping to promote your health, and strengthen your immunity have been discussed in this article, pear therapy doesn’t replace taking prescription medicines when you are sick. The nutrition in pears is not effective enough to fight against diseases, hence, the best way to treat respiratory infections is by following your GP’s instructions.
FAQs
Can diabetics have pears regularly?
Pears are high-glucose fruits. If you are a diabetic and in the process of diet control progress, it is wise to consult with your GP first and follow their advice. There are no universal rules whether you can have it or not, it all depends on your conditions.
Can a pear beverage cure cough?
Pear beverages or fresh pear juice can help to nourish your lungs and ease your sore throat. However, only drinking pear beverages won’t lead to significant symptom relief. The recovery duration of a cough depends on its severity, the effectiveness of medicine intervention and the immunity resistance strength of your body.
Can pear be a replacement for other supplements for respiratory health?
The answer is no. Managing respiratory health requires a comprehensive nutritious supplement, lifestyle adjustments, and medication intervention. The benefit of pears doesn’t take the place of other food nutrition works in your body.
Summary
The health benefits of pears for patients with respiratory disease are too numerous to count. Especially for smokers, pears improve bronchial and lung function, reduce cough, and improve the oxygen saturation in the blood. Nevertheless, eating too many pears may potentially raise your blood sugar or heavy the load on the liver.
However, there is no need to worry about having one or two pears a day. Besides, if you are taking any medicine, it is always a good idea to consult with your healthcare professional before making a significant change to your regular diet. The high volume of water contained in the pear can ease your thirst and moisturise your throat. As it is also a high-fibre fruit, there is another funny thing about pears, namely, that it will help a lot if you need to go to the toilet.
Reference
- Ben Cao Gang Mu (《本草纲目》 Compendium of Materia Medica) | Silk Roads Programme [Internet]. [cited 2023 Nov 20]. Available from: https://en.unesco.org/silkroad/silk-road-themes/documentary-heritage/ben-cao-gang-mu-bencaogangmu-compendium-materia-medica
- Yin / Yang Theory - TCM World [Internet]. [cited 2023 Nov 20]. Available from: https://www.tcmworld.org/what-is-tcm/yin-yang-theory/
- Lee YL, Chang Y Di, Liu CW, Lee CC. Extract of Pyrus nivalis enhances phagocytosis in lungs after particles matter exposure in BALB/c mice. J Food Biochem [Internet]. 2020 Nov 1 [cited 2023 Nov 21];44(11). Available from: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32964451/
- Dekhuijzen PN, van Beurden WJ. The role for N-acetylcysteine in the management of COPD. Int J Chron Obstruct Pulmon Dis [Internet]. 2006 [cited 2023 Nov 21];1(2):99–106. Available from: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18046886/
- Cho KH, Parveen A, Kang MC, Subedi L, Lee JH, Park SY, et al. Pyrus ussuriensis Maxim. leaves extract ameliorates DNCB-induced atopic dermatitis-like symptoms in NC/Nga mice. Phytomedicine [Internet]. 2018 Sep 15 [cited 2023 Nov 21];48:76–83. Available from: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30195883/
- Bantle JP. Dietary Fructose and Metabolic Syndrome and Diabetes. J Nutr [Internet]. 2009 Jun [cited 2023 Nov 22];139(6):1263S. Available from: /pmc/articles/PMC2714385/