Persimmon 7 Health Benefits & Nutrition Facts | Side Effects

Persimmon fruits provide many essential vitamin and minerals, along with hidden phytonutrients.

It also provides fiber, both soluble and insoluble fiber.

Antioxidant and phytonutrient ratio is good that provide protection from oxidative stress, free radicals, and inflammation. Protection from these three factors can cut the risk of man chronic diseases.

Along with, it is also a rich source of healthy eye nourishing nutrients

If it happens a fruit you like, or if you want to taste it, we will give you numerous health benefits as a reason to include in your diet.

1. Rich Source of Nutrients

Being a small size, persimmon is a nutrient-rich fruit with an ideal composition of vitamin and mineral.

With low in fat and calorie, it contains a good amount of vitamin and minerals. It contains some nutrient which is high while there are many nutrients which are in low quantity.

It contains a huge variation of nutrient content.

1 whole persimmon fruit (168) provides: (1)

• Calorie: 118
• Water: 135g
• Fiber: 6g (24%)
• Vitamin A: 2733 IU (55%)
• Vitamin C: 12.5mg (21%)
• Vitamin E: 1.2mg (6%)
• Vitamin K: 44mcg (5%)
• Thiamin: 0.1mg (3%)
• Vitamin B6: 0.3mg (8%)
• Potassium: 270mg (8%)
• Copper: 0.2mg (9%)
• Manganese: 0.6mg (30%)

Along with, it also contains a small quantity of other nutrients like riboflavin, magnesium, phosphorus, zinc, and selenium.

Persimmon’s major of weight is water-weight which is 135g of 168g thus leaving with only 118 calories. With low calorie and dense nutrients, it is surely a great addition to a diet.

Persimmon fruit also contains a high level of antioxidant and phytonutrients. (2, 3)

Antioxidants and phytonutrients control oxidative stress and inflammation which are responsible for cell damage and many types of cancer. (4, 5, 6)

Wrap up: Persimmon is a low-calorie fruit yet abundant in healthy nutrients like Vitamin A, vitamin C, Vitamin B6, Copper, and Manganese.

2. Source of Hidden Phytochemical

With the listed nutrients earlier you might want to eat persimmon fruit, but that’s not the only nutrients they provide. (7)

There are many other nutrients the fruit provide but it wasn’t explored earlier. But curiosity about food has been a boon to us as we now know what to eat to stay healthy.

Persimmon fruit is also among the healthiest fruits that shouldn’t be missed for their hidden phytochemicals (also known as phytonutrients).

The Hidden Phytonutrients present in a whole persimmon fruit are:

1. Carotenoids
2. Tannins
3. Phenolic compounds
4. Proanthocyanidins (PAs)
5. Catechins
6. Oleanolic acid (OA) and ursolic acid (UA)

Caretenoids and tannins can neutralize free radicals, and decrease cardiovascular risk factor (blood pressure & cholesterol), and reduce the risk of diabetes mellitus and cancer.

Tannins can be used to cure physiological threats. They also possess anti-bacterial, anti-allergic, free radical scavenging, lowering blood pressure, anticancer and antioxidant activities.

While other phytonutrients also work to provide better protection from health problems like heart disease, diabetes mellitus, cancer, inflammation, etc. With abundant nutrients and a wide range of benefits, it is sure that eating persimmon fruit is worth.

To get the above nutrients you need to eat whole fruit with the skin. You might have gone to a few articles on apple and pears. They posses major of phytonutrients in their skin, same is with persimmon. If you want to get maximum nutrient from a fruit, eat whole fruit with the peel.

Wrap up: With abundant phytonutrients, persimmon fruit can protect from heart disease, diabetes mellitus, cancer, inflammation, etc.

3. They Are Weight Loss Friendly

Persimmon fruit is a great addition to the diet for people who are looking to lose weight or maintain a healthy weight.

With low calorie, high fiber and water content, it proves to be the best fruit for weight loss. (8)

Eating food high in fiber while trying to lose weight will keep you full for longer. (9)

For weight loss, there are few concerns like:

• Satiety
• Craving
• Sweet tooth

A whole persimmon contains 6g of fiber which is 24 percent of Recommend Daily Allowance.

If you eat fiber loaded fruit like persimmon you get the hint of sweetness with low calorie. You can enjoy eating sweet delicacy yet lose weight.

The high fiber content and its low calorie proves beneficial in weight loss. The fiber is responsible for slow digestion of food and release of energy. With energy supply for long will keep you full for long without any energy crash.

Dietary fiber is also found to improve satiety and cut the craving for sugar-loaded processed food. (10, 11)

Everyone wants to enjoy snack those can fulfill the sweet crave. If you are looking to meet your sweet craving, why not try high fiber yet sweet persimmon fruit.

While persimmon fruit can be a great addition to your workout nutrition. Since the sugar is absorbed slowly so there will be a continuous supply of energy during a workout session.

The water and electrolyte content of Persimmon can help you to replenish the lost fluid and electrolyte. While the nutrients in fruit can help you fasten the recovery.

Wrap up: With high fiber and low calorie, persimmon fruit can aid weight loss by keeping you full for long, increase satiety, and lower the craving for sugar. While it can be a great addition to weight loss workout regime.

4. Protect and Nourish Eye Vision

Persimmon is a best for eye due to its abundant nutrients like Vitamin A, C, E, carotenoids (Lutein and Zeaxanthin)

Vitamin A – 2733 IU (55% of Recommended Daily Allowance)

Vitamin A helps to protect the surface of the eye (corona) which is essential for good vision.

It also protects a component of rhodopsin, a protein in the eye that allows to see. (12)

Vitamin A is an antioxidant and with a combination of other antioxidants, it can reduce the risk of cataracts and age-related macular degeneration (AMD).

Deficiency of Vitamin A can lead to dry eye, night blindness, and bitot’s spot. (13)

Vitamin C – 12.6mg (21% of Recommended Daily Allowance)

Vitamin C has an antioxidant property.

It is found that eye has a high metabolic rate, thus it means more free radicals are generated. To handle those free radicals intake of antioxidants proves beneficial as they prevent damage to the eye from the free radicals.

Vitamin E is also an antioxidant but persimmon provide 6 percent of RDA.

While abundant Vitamin C in the eye can be helpful in regenerating Vitamin E. (13)

Lutein and Zeaxanthin

Persimmon contains Lutein and Zeaxanthin, the most available carotenoid present in nature.

Studies have found that Lutein and Zeaxanthin effective in maintaining and improving the vision. (14, 15)

It works on retina and arrests eye related degenerative diseases like Macular degeneration and also prevents the incidences of cataract. (16, 17)

Wrap Up: With multiple eyes protecting like Vitamin A, C, E, and carotenoids (Lutein and Zeaxanthin), persimmon prove to the best food to improve eye health and prevent degenerative disease.

5. Improve Digestive System

Persimmon fruit has a high amount of fiber, 6g which is 24 percent of Recommended Daily Allowance.

Fiber provides roughage during digestion essential to improve the digestion process. (18)

There are two types of fiber – Soluble and Insoluble. (19)

Soluble fiber increases intestine ability to absorb nutrient from food whereas the insoluble passes straight through the body and into the intestines.

Fiber makes stools bulky and soft so they pass through the gastrointestinal tract quickly. They bind and pushes the stools out of your intestines. This way eating persimmon fruit prevents constipation.

But a clean and regular emptying have many other benefits. It prevents infections and aids in treating conditions like chronic constipation and protects from colon cancer.

Choose to eat a ripe persimmon as the raw one contain more tannin which can slow the digestive tract movement. (20)

Wrap up: With high fiber, persimmon helps to meet 24 percent of RDA in single fruit which supports digestive system health.

6. Protects From Ageing

Free radical and oxidative stress is responsible for cancer, even they are responsible for premature aging.

Free radicals can damage healthy skin cell thus stimulates the aging process. Antioxidant and phytonutrients in persimmon are found to reverse the aging by protecting skin from free radicals damage.

Anthocyanin is found to protect keratinocytes (an epidermal cell which produces keratin) from UV-induced free radicals and oxidative damage.

While the high level of Vitamin C; (21)

• Promotes collagen formation, neutralize and remove oxidants after exposure to ultraviolet radiation,
• protect skin keratinocytes from UV damage, regenerate healthy skin cells

A whole fruit provides 55% of required Vitamin A which encourages healthy skin cell production. (22)

Oral supplementation of Carotenoids, especially lutein and zeaxanthin is found to lightens and improves skin conditions. These nutrients can increase antioxidants content of skin and prevent damage from environmental factors like UV rays and other pollutants.

Wrap up: With an abundant source of nutrient like Vitamin C, A, lutein and zeaxanthin, persimmon proves highly beneficial for skin health and prevent damage from free radicals.

7. Keep Heart Healthy

Heart disease is the no 1 killer around the world and can be prevented with a healthy diet.

An unhealthy diet loaded with unhealthy nutrients and with lack of protective nutrient is the reason for the increased risk of heart disease.

If you are looking to improve your heart health and want to boost up the intake of heart-healthy nutrients, choose fruits like persimmon.

High LDL cholesterol, inflammation, and high blood pressure are responsible for the increased risk of heart disease. For all these three common factors – a food rich in potassium, fiber, and flavonoids should be preferred.

The high fiber content is responsible for lower absorption of LDL cholesterol thus lowering the LDL cholesterol in the blood. (23)

Tannin in persimmon is also found to lower LDL cholesterol and are clinically used to treat hypercholesterolemia. (24)

Tannins also possess lowering blood pressure and antioxidant activities.

The antioxidants activity of tannins can protect LDL cholesterol from damage thus preventing plaque in the arteries, preventing the risk of heart attack or stroke.

Like banana, it also contains a good amount of potassium which is effective in lowering the blood pressure. (25)

While the other phytonutrients support heart health by providing protection against inflammation. (26)

Wrap up: With high fiber, potassium, and phytonutrients persimmon help to fight against every major factor that leads to heart disease.

8. High Fiber Source

Persimmon contains both fiber – Soluble and Insoluble fiber.

A whole persimmon provides about 6 grams fiber which is 24% of Required Daily Intake (RDI).

It is recommended to eat 25-30g of fiber for a better health. Instead of the recommendation, the intake of fiber is half than required.

If you have trouble in meeting the recommended fiber intake then you should add high fiber food like persimmon and also other fruits.

Fiber has a vast role in health from digestion, satiety to detoxification. Lack of fiber in the diet can increase the risk of many health problems. (27)

14-gram fiber over 1000 calories can reduce the risk of coronary disease and type 2 diabetes, as per a study by National Institute of Medicine. (28)

They are great snacking food which can add more nutrients if you prefer them instead of processed foods.

Wrap up: With a high source of fiber, persimmon can be a great snack to meet daily fiber intake.

Persimmon Fruit Compounds That Make It Special

Lycopene: It is effective antioxidants to boost heart health and potentially protects from cancer. (29)

Lutein: A good deal of research has found that Lutein protects from age-related macular degeneration(AMD) and cataracts. (30, 31)

Zeaxanthin: Zeaxanthin gives color to the fruit. It protects eyesight from degenerative diseases. (32)

Catechins: It is a strong polyphenol. It prevents bleeding from small blood vessels. (33)

Betulinic acid: It has an excellent anti-tumor property. (34)

More About Persimmon Fruit

Persimmon fruit belongs to genus Diospyros from the family of Ebenaceae and in botanical categorization, it comes under the classification of berries.

They are divided into astringent and non-astringent type. The astringent type contains high levels of tannins and is unpalatable when unripe.

The unripe fruit leaves a dry and powdery texture in the mouth which is undesirable and detestable.

A ripe fruit is soft, sweet and tasty. The color of its exterior ranges from dark yellow to orange.

In appearance, it looks almost like tomatoes.

It is grown in South East Asia though some varieties are grown in southern Europe.

It is eaten raw in ripe form. However, the dried variants are eaten as a snack and used in making desserts.

In some parts of South East Asia, the leaf of this fruit are used for making tea. The wood of Persimmon fruit is hard but inflexible which makes it difficult to work with as it cracks easily.

Side-Effect of Persimmon Fruit

Persimmon is safe to eat and it has a rare chance of allergy.

Its side-effects may be not severe but overeating is not recommended.

It provides many health benefits as detailed in the earlier section but there is a need for caution because of the high tannin. (35)

Avoid eating the unripe Persimmon as it contains a high level of tannin which will leave your mouth feeling parched and numb for a while after eating the fruit. While high tannin can slow the digestion.