Do you want to keep your cholesterol under control? Do you want to better manage your tendency to high blood pressure? Then consider adding apricots to your weekly shopping list. Available in many forms, from the ripe fruit to dried pieces, apricots are an all-natural, rich source of nutrition that can protect you from cardiovascular disease and high blood pressure.
Even without these benefits, sun-sweet apricots have a lot of goodness to offer. According to a chart from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, a single fresh apricot contains 16.8 calories, 4.55 milligrams of calcium, and significant amounts of vitamin C and other nutrients. In fact, apricots have such a comprehensive nutritional profile that they are often called a superfood.
Two nutrients in apricots that are especially important if you want to lower your cholesterol and manage high blood pressure are fiber and potassium. Each apricot contains 0.7 grams of fiber and 90.6 milligrams of potassium, ensuring that pound for pound, the fruit has plenty of nutritional value.
Apricots lower cholesterol levels through their soluble fiber
Fiber has been found to be a key component of a heart-healthy diet. As the National Lipid Association notes, soluble fiber—which makes up about half of the fiber found in apricots—can have a cleansing effect in the intestinal system. When pieces of fiber bind to cholesterol particles, the fiber transports cholesterol through and out of the body. And you don’t necessarily have to eat a lot of soluble fiber to see a difference in your cholesterol numbers. According to the same source, eating just 5 grams of soluble fiber can lower cholesterol by several percentage points.
A meta-analysis published in Advances in Nutrition in 2023 supports the National Lipid Association’s statement. In the study, researchers found that for every 5 grams of soluble fiber that subjects consumed regularly, their total cholesterol levels decreased by a mean difference of more than 6 milligrams per deciliter.
Apricots help with high blood pressure with potassium
What makes potassium so valuable for those looking to prevent heart disease? According to Healthline, potassium helps keep the nervous and muscular systems functioning at peak levels. A Today article explained that because potassium helps transport sodium out of the body more efficiently, it may ultimately have an impact on high blood pressure.
Because apricots are rich in potassium, they may be able to protect you from future heart disease. MedicineNet agrees, concluding that the potassium in apricots, along with their fiber content, makes them a potentially effective ally in the fight against cardiovascular disease.
If you’re a woman trying to manage your high blood pressure naturally, the American Heart Association recommends increasing your potassium intake to 2,600 milligrams daily. For men, that number is a maximum of 3,400 milligrams.
Again, apricots contain 90 milligrams of potassium per serving, so even two or three apricots aren’t enough to give you the potassium you need to make a difference. However, apricots can play a role in a broader potassium-focused diet. Just be careful if you already have kidney disease. The National Kidney Foundation warns that excessive potassium consumption can put a dangerous strain on the kidneys.
