The document discusses the history, cultivation, nutritional composition, and potential health benefits of peaches based on both scientific studies and traditional Chinese medicine. It provides an overview of peach varieties, production levels globally and in the US, and summarizes current research on the antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anticancer properties of phytochemicals found in peaches. The Chinese have long revered peaches as a symbol of longevity due to their association with health benefits like anti-aging effects.

1. FRUIT AS MEDICINE:
PEACH
PRUNUS PERSICA
By
Kevin KF Ng, MD, PhD
Former Associate Professor of Medicine
Division of Clinical Pharmacology
University of Miami, Miami, FL., USA
Email: kevinng68@gmail.com
A Slide Presentation for HealthCare Providers July 2021

2. Lecture Outline
▪ Sheng Nong (Divine Farmer)
▪ God of longevity
▪ History of Peach
▪ Peach Cultivation
▪ Classification of peach
▪ Nutrients of peach
▪ Scientific studies
▪ Commercial products
▪ Summary

3. HISTORY
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peach

4. A brief history of peach genetic diversity
https://pt.slideshare.net/fruitbreedomics/15-peach-germplasm-structure-verde-ignazio/2

5. First fossil peaches discovered in southwest China
more than 2.5 million years ago
https://news.psu.edu/story/382824/2015/11/30/research/eat-paleo-peach-first-fossil-peaches-discovered-southwest-china

6. Digging back into peach history
The Chinese were clonally propagating peach trees at least 7,000 years ago.
https://www.goodfruit.com/digging-back-into-peach-
history/

7. GLOBAL AND US PRODUCTIONS

8. Global distribution of peach (Prunus persica)

9. World's top Peach Producing Countries
https://www.atlasbig.com/en-us/countries-peach-
nectarin-production

10. United States Top Five Peach Producing States (2014)
United States Top Five Peach Producing States 2014

11. CLASSIFICATION OF PEACHES
ANATOMY
SCIENTIFIC PUBLICATIONS

12. Scientific Classification of Peach tree (prunus persica)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peach

13. Different Varieties of Peaches
▪ More than 300 varieties of peaches (Prunus persica) grow
and flourish in the United States.
▪ Over 2,000 varieties globally, although the fruit is native
to China.
▪ Peaches are classified in three groups:
▪ freestone,
▪ clingstone
▪ semi-freestone.
▪ Popular varieties grown in U.S. include Santa Rosa, Red
Beauty, Red Top, Elegant Lady and O’Henry.
https://homeguides.sfgate.com/different-varieties-
peaches-42398.html

14. https://www.shutterstock.com/search/fruit+anatomy
Anatomy of a peach fruit
Peach kernel
Peach fruit

15. Number of publications on “peach fruit” in PubMed from
1949 to 2020
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=peach+fruit

16. NUTRIENTS & PHYTOCHEMICALS

17. Nutrient composition of peaches

18. Nutrient composition per 100g in raw yellow peaches
https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/325430/nutrients
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•
•
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19. Identification of phenolic compounds in peach fruits with
HPLC-DAD and LC-ESI-MS/MS. (2015)
Phenolic acid
Flavonoids

20. PHARMACOLOGICAL STUDIES
• ANIMALS
• HUMANS

21. Pharmacological properties of peach phytochemicals reported:
(carotenoids, phenolic acids, flavonoids)
▪ Antimicrobial
▪ Antioxidant
▪ Anti-inflammatory
▪ Immuno-modulatory
▪ Anticancer
▪ Anti-aging
▪ Hypoglycemic
▪ Hypolipidemic
▪ Prebiotic
▪ Organ protective

22. Mechanisms of actions of flavonoids
▪ Antioxidative effects
▪ Direct radical scavenging
▪ Anti-inflammatory effects via COX2, 5-LOX & iNOs
▪ Immuno-modulatory effects via leukocyte mobilization
▪ Antiaging effects via activation of telomerase
▪ Inhibition of Xanthine oxidase
▪ Interaction with other enzyme systems
https://academic.oup.com/ajcn/article/74/4/418/473

23. Effect of Peaches on Plasma Lipids Profile in Rats
Fed High Sucrose Diet (2015)
Adapted from https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Levels-of-cholesterol-LDL-
HDL-triglycerides-albumin-and-total-proteins-in-plasma_tbl2_280420303

24. Polyphenolic-enriched peach peels extract regulates lipid metabolism
and improves the gut microbiota composition in
high fat diet-fed mice (2020)
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1756464620303066

25. Degraded Dietary Polyphenols from (EGCG) Are Potent
Telomerase Inhibitors in cancer cells. (2003)

26. Blocking Telomerase by Dietary Polyphenols Is a Major Mechanism for
Limiting the Growth of Human Cancer Cells in Vitro and in Vivo (2003)
▪ Animal and epidemiological studies reveal that consuming food and beverages rich in polyphenols
(e.g., catechins, flavones, and anthocyanines) is associated with a lower incidence of cancer, and
several molecular mechanisms have been proposed for explaining this effect.
▪ However, because most of these mechanisms were observed only under specific and
nonphysiological conditions, and in most cases, with practically irrelevant concentrations, there is
still no clear-cut or universal explanation for the major events that underlie the anticancer effects
of polyphenols.
▪ In this study we present clear in vitro and in vivo evidence that the inhibition of the cancer-
associated enzyme telomerase is a key mechanism involved in cancer inhibition by
epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), a major tea polyphenol.
▪ We demonstrate that EGCG and other selected polyphenols undergo structural rearrangements at
physiologically permissible conditions that result in remarkably increased telomerase inhibition. In
nude mice models bearing both telomerase-dependent and -independent xenograft tumors cloned
from a single human cancer progeny, only the telomerase-dependent tumors responded to
prolonged oral administration of EGCG.
▪ Thus, EGCG and likely other structurally related dietary polyphenols seem to act as prodrug-like
molecules that, once ingested and distributed, undergo structural changes that favor potent
activity against telomerase.
https://cancerres.aacrjournals.org/content/63/4/824
Anti-cancer

27. HUMAN STUDIES
CRP for inflammation
Metabolic syndrome (Lipids, glucose, BP, weight)
Telomerase activator for longevity; inhibitor for cancer

28. CLINICAL EFFECTS OF FLAVONOIDS
▪ Antiviral effects
▪ Antiinflammatory effects
▪ Antithrombotic effects
▪ Antiatherosclerotic effects
▪ Antitumor effects
▪ Antiosteoporotic effects

29. Polyphenols lower hs-CRP, the biomarker for inflammation
Adapted from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7015881/figure/f2/

30. Fruit and vegetable lower parameters in the
metabolic syndrome (2006)
https://academic.oup.com/ajcn/article/84/6/1489/4649256

31. Effects of Peach (Prunus persica)-Derived Glucosylceramide on
the Human Skin (2017)
▪ Plant-derived ceramides are functional natural products with vari-ous physiological effects that improve water retention and skin
permeability functions.
▪ Objective:
▪ Herein, we isolated peach (Prunus persica)-derived glucosylceramide with high purity and evaluated its effects on moisture and
permeability of skin.
▪ Methods:
▪ Three separate experiments were performed: evaluations of the effect of peach-derived glucosylceramide application on the ceramide
content in a three-dimensional hu-man cultured skin model, water retention effect of the oral administration of the peach-derived
glucosylceramide on human skin functionality, and safety of the long-term admin-istration of the peach-derived glucosylceramide in
human subjects.
▪ Results:
▪ Treatments of three-dimensional cultures of human skin with peach-derived gluco-sylceramide led to dose-dependent increases in
human ceramide contents. Additionally, af-ter oral administration of ceramide to humans, dose-dependent improvements in water re-
tention functions of skin, suppression of trans-epidermal water loss and improvements in skin texture were observed. Furthermore, no
significant changes in subjective/objective symptoms, physical characteristics, or laboratory test values were observed in human sub-
jects following long term oral administration of ceramide at doses that were 4.5-9-times greater than recommended. Taken together, the
present data indicate the positive effects of peach ceramide on skin function and no adverse effects.
▪ Keywords: Glucosylceramide, skin function, open-label trial, stratum corneum, Prunus persica, moisturizing effect, skin texture
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5740493/

32. DOES PEACH INCREASE LONGEVITY?
Peach as a symbol of longevity and immortality

33. Peach as a Chinese symbol of longevity and immortality
Fruit
God of Longevity
Bun

34. The aging process
https://www.dreamstime.com/illustration/silhouette-age-progression.html

35. Telomere attrition, telomere length and telomerase

36. Telomere and Cancer
https://www.dreamstime.com/chromosome-telomere-healthy-cancerous-cells-normal-cell-every-time-cell-divides-telomeres-become-shorter-image138585502

37. Cooking of Brassica carinata (high polyphenols content) increase
telomerase activity in CD4+ and CD8+ T cell subsets (2019)
https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/11/4/786/htm
CD4+ CD8+

38. HEALTH BENEFITS
Side effects
Commercial products

39. Health benefits of phytochemicals in peaches
▪ Antioxidant
▪ Anti-inflammatory
▪ Immuno-modulatory
▪ Anticancer
▪ Anti-aging
▪ Hypoglycemic
▪ Hypolipidemic
▪ Prebiotic
▪ Organ protective

40. Peach Tree Pollen and Prunus persica Sensitisation and Allergy
in Children and Adolescents (2019)
▪ Background: Although plant and fruit pollens are entomophilous and relevant in exposed workers,
we have shown a high frequency of sensitisation and symptoms induction of peach tree pollen
(PTP) and Prunus persica 9 (Pru p 9) in adults from areas of peach cultivars.
▪ Methods: We studied the sensitisation and clinical relevance of PTP and Pru p 9 in a large group of
children and adolescents aged 3-19 years. A detailed questionnaire plus skin prick testing to
prevalent allergens, PTP, and Pru p 9 were carried out. The clinical relevance was established by
nasal provocation test (NPT) and symptom score index.
▪ Results: We evaluated 685 children (mean age 8.75 ± 3.3 years, median 9 years), 52% of them
female. Sensitisation to PTP occurred in 20% of the cases following olive tree (33%) and Phleum
pratense (26%). In a randomly selected subgroup of subjects sensitised to PTP, 30% were skin prick
test-positive to Pru p 9. Most cases had rhinitis or rhinoconjunctivitis. NPT showed the relevance of
PTP and Pru p 9 in the induction of symptoms.
▪ Conclusion: PTP and Pru p 9 are relevant in the induction of sensitisation and respiratory symptoms
in children and adolescents. This allergen should be evaluated in children living in regions of peach
tree cultivars.
▪ Keywords: Adolescents; Allergy; Children; Peach tree pollen; Prunus persica 9; Sensitisation.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31533105/

41. Commercial products of Peaches
▪ Fresh peaches
▪ Dehydrated peaches
▪ Canned peaches
▪ Peach syrup
▪ Peach fruit beer and wine
▪ sorbets, yogurts,
▪ peach oil (cosmetics)

42. Summary
▪ The Chinese cultivated the peach tree (Prunus
Persica) at least 7,000 years ago.
▪ Over 2,000 varieties are now grown globally.
▪ More than 300 varieties grow in the United
States.
▪ The Chinese revered the peach as a symbol of
longevity and immortality.
▪ Scientific studies of the peaches are limited.
▪ However, the current knowledge shows that
phytochemicals in the peaches are beneficial for
health.

43. ANY QUESTION?
Other slide presentations available at:
https://www.slideshare.net/ssusera9ba27/presentations