What We Know About the Health
Benefits of Fruit
Most of apricots’ health benefits are due to the
same substances that make them look so luscious, their carotenoids. These are
the powerful pigments in plants that paint many of our favourite fruits and
vegetables red, orange and yellow. Researchers have identified more than 600
carotenoids, and apricots contain some of the most potent—including
betacarotene.Women whose diets contain high levels of betacarotene had
significantly less risk of coronary-artery disease, according to a study that
followed 73,000 women for 12 years, and a significantly lower risk of heart
attack, according to another study.