Pear

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What pear is · apple's relative

EVIDENCEGUIDE 1

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What sets pear apart is sorbitol. This sugar alcohol is absorbed slowly and incompletely in the small intestine; what is left pulls water into the gut and is fermented by bacteria into gas. So some people get bloated after a lot of pear, and a pear when you are constipated can loosen things a little. The chapter on sorbitol and gas walks through the whole chain.

Pear is a pome fruit and a close relative of apple: juicy flesh around a small cluster of seeds, about 84% water. Its fiber includes a good deal of pectin, plus a little vitamin C and potassium. Many people reach for a pear when their throat feels dry; how much truth there is in "pear moistens the lungs and stops coughs" is taken apart in the chapter on whether pears help a cough. If a cough has dragged on for weeks, or you cough up blood or are clearly short of breath, see a doctor rather than relying on stewed pear.

A green-yellow pear cut lengthwise, with pale juicy flesh around a core holding a few brown seeds. — A CLOSER LOOK
Pear and apple share a pome structure
The cut face shows pome structure, without presenting pear as a food that repairs lungs or treats cough.

Educational content, not medical advice — consult a clinician.