Posts Tagged “Pear Bureau Northwest”
By The Northwest Pear Bureau
PORTLAND, Ore. — An abstract of an ongoing study, “Fresh pear (Pyrus communis) consumption may improve blood pressure in middle-aged men and women with metabolic syndrome,” presented at Experimental Biology in San Diego recently indicates regular fresh pear consumption may improve blood pressure and vascular function in middle-aged men and women with metabolic syndrome (MetS.)1 MetS, a cluster of major cardiovascular risk factors highly associated with the development of chronic disease such as cardiovascular disease and type II diabetes, affects more than one in three U.S. adults. 2
The randomized, placebo-controlled crossover clinical trial evaluated the antihypertensive effects of fresh pear consumption in middle-aged men and women with MetS. Fifty men and women aged 45 to 65 years with three of the five features of MetS were randomly assigned to receive either 2 medium-sized fresh pears (~178 g) or 50 g pear-flavored drink mix (placebo) per day for 12 weeks. Preliminary analyses of 36 participants show that after 12 weeks of fresh pear consumption, systolic blood pressure and pulse pressure were significantly lower than baseline levels, whereas there were no changes in the control group. Further research is needed to confirm the antihypertensive effects of fresh pears as well as to assess their impact on vascular function.
“These initial results are very promising,” said Dr. Sarah A. Johnson, PhD, RDN, lead author and now Assistant Professor and Director of the Functional Foods & Human Health Laboratory in the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition at Colorado State University. “With metabolic syndrome being of such high prevalence in the U.S., we feel it is important to explore the potential for functional foods such as pears to improve cardiovascular risk factors such as blood pressure in affected middle-aged adults. Elevated systolic blood pressure and pulse pressure, which is the difference between systolic and diastolic blood pressure, are strong predictors of cardiovascular disease. Age-related vascular dysfunction has been shown to be accelerated in individuals with metabolic syndrome and contributes to these increases in blood pressure.”
The study is from the Department of Nutrition, Food and Exercise Sciences and the Center for Advancing Exercise and Nutrition Research on Aging (CAENRA) at Florida State University by Dr. Bahram H. Arjmandi, Professor and Director of CAENRA and Dr. Sarah A. Johnson, previous Assistant Director of CAENRA.
Among the most popular fruits in the world, Pears are an excellent source of fiber and a good source of vitamin C, for only 100 calories per serving. One medium pear provides 24 percent of daily fiber needs. Plus they are sodium-free, cholesterol-free, fat-free, and contain 190 mg of potassium. A balanced diet rich in fruits and vegetables, including pears, provides beneficial micronutrients, vitamins, dietary fiber, potassium, phytochemicals, and more.
Pear Bureau Northwest continues to collaborate with researchers to support additional studies highlighting the relationship between pears and positive health outcomes. Visit www.usapears.org for additional pear research, nutrition resources and recipes.
About Pear Bureau Northwest Pear Bureau Northwest was established in 1931 as a nonprofit marketing organization to promote the fresh pears grown in Oregon and Washington. Today, the United States is the third largest pear-producing country in the world, and Oregon and Washington comprise the nation’s largest pear growing region with 1,600 growers producing 84% of all fresh pears grown in the United States. Pears grown in these two Pacific Northwest states are distributed under the “USA Pears” brand. Pears are an excellent source of fiber (24% DV) and a good source of vitamin C (10% DV) for only 100 calories per medium sized pear. Sweet and juicy with no fat, no sodium, and no cholesterol, pears are a perfect choice for a snack as well as for any course of any meal of the day. For more information, visit www.usapears.org, www.facebook.com/USApears, and follow @USApears on Twitter.
by Pear Bureau Northwest
PORTLAND, Ore. – Northwest pear growers are releasing fresh pear harvest projections following their recent annual meetings in Portland. Collectively, Washington’s Wenatchee and Yakima regions and Oregon’s Mid-Columbia and Medford regions estimate a fresh pear harvest of 18.7 million standard box equivalents, or 414,000 tons of fresh pears. These figures are up 2% from 2015 final harvest figures, but represent a 7% decrease from the five-year average.
Warm spring weather and good pollination led to a full bloom, with no significant weather events to hurt the fruit finish. “Growers are reporting beautiful, clean fruit that is filling out nicely in terms of fruit size,” stated Kevin Moffitt, president and CEO of Pear Bureau Northwest (PBNW).
Harvest is expected slightly earlier than historical average, but similar to the last two years, with Starkrimson expected in the last days of July, Bartlett in the first days of August, and Anjou, Bosc, and Comice in the last two weeks of August, across the four growing regions. Concorde, Forelle, and Seckel will be picked from late August through September.
The top three varieties produced by Northwest growers remain the same as in previous years: Green Anjou pears are anticipated to make up 50% of the total 2016 crop, and Bartlett and Bosc pears are expected to yield 23% and 17%, respectively.
Green Anjou pears are showing a projected crop decrease of 3% compared with 2015, and a 13% drop compared to the five-year average. Growers estimate that the Bartlett pear crop yield will increase by 9% compared with last season’s results, matching the five-year average. The Bosc pear crop increase is expected to be 4% over the 2015 harvest, 3% higher than the five-year average. The size of the Red Anjou pear crop is expected to be 3% higher than last year, but down by 3% compared to the five-year average.
Harvest of certified organic pears in the Northwest is projected to make up about 6% of the crop, with 1,103,600 standard boxes (24,279 tons) for 2016, up 14% compared with 2015. The organic Green Anjou crop is expected to be 430,000 standard boxes, while the Green Bartlett and Bosc crop sizes are estimated at 310,000 and 235,000 standard boxes respectively.
Throughout the season the PBNW team is a resource for retailers, sharing cutting-edge consumer and trade research results and trade best practice techniques on the Trade.usapears.org website. The new trade focused site is rich with tools to support pear category sales as well as a section to train produce personnel on handling and merchandising of fresh pears.
Exports remain a vital part of the success of the industry and typically account for around 40% of the total sales in a given season (including Canada), according to Global Trade Atlas. Export activities for PBNW are spread across nearly 30 countries worldwide, supporting a diverse portfolio of markets for greater grower returns.
About Pear Bureau Northwest
Pear Bureau Northwest is a non-profit marketing organization established in 1931 to promote the fresh USA Pears grown in Washington and Oregon, home to 84% of the US fresh pear crop. The Bureau represents nearly 1,600 growers and develops national and international markets for Northwest pear distribution. “The Pear Bureau Knows Pears.” For more information, visit www.usapears.org or www.trade.usapears.org.
Yakima and Wenatchee Valley apples and soft fruit – grossing about $6000 to New York City.
Pear Bureau Northwest, the nonprofit marketing association that promotes fresh pears grown in Oregon and Washington, recently commissioned nutrition research examining fresh pear consumption and the associated nutrition and health benefits.
The research, which was led by Victor Fulgoni III, Ph.D, was presented at Experimental Biology in San Diego and revealed that when compared with non-consumers, fresh pear consumers had a better nutrition profile and overall better quality of diet (for example, more dietary fibre, vitamin C, copper, magnesium and potassium). Fresh pear consumers also had lower added sugar intake, as well as lower intake of total fat, mono-unsaturated fat and saturated fat. Furthermore, the likelihood of being obese was 35 percent lower among fresh pear consumers than among their non-consumer counterparts.
The association between fresh pear consumption with nutrient intake, dietary quality and risk of obesity was examined in adults 19 years old and older participating in the 2001-10 National Health & Nutrition Examination Survey. Energy and nutrient intakes were calculated using the USDA’s Food & Nutrient Database for Dietary Studies.
“We are pleased to see healthy pears as part of the greater scientific conversation and look forward to growing our nutrition research and communications program,” Kevin Moffitt, president and chief executive officer of Pear Bureau Northwest, said in a press release.