Nectarine vs. Orange — Health Impact and Nutrition Comparison
SUMMARY
Oranges are richer in vitamin C and carbs. Nectarines have more protein than oranges and are lower in calories. Nectarines are also lower in fiber compared to oranges.
Table of contents
INTRODUCTION
Nectarine is a member of the Rosaceae family, while orange is a citrus fruit. They are packed with many healthy nutrients, vitamins, and minerals. However, nectarines and oranges differ in nutrient density and health impact.
NUTRITION
Here we will compare the nutritional values of Nectarines, raw (1), and Oranges, raw, all commercial variants (2).
Vitamins
Oranges and nectarines are packed with vitamins. However, they differ in the densities of specific vitamins.
Nectarines are high in vitamins A, E, B3, and k, although apples have more vitamins B1, B2, B5, B6, and C.
Oranges offer approximately ten times more vitamin C than nectarines: 53.2mg per 100g compared to 5.4mg in nectarines.
Vitamin Comparison
Minerals
Nectarines have a higher iron, phosphorus, zinc, potassium, and copper content than oranges. Nectarines have 26mg of phosphorus, while oranges have 14mg of it. Oranges provide more quantities of magnesium and calcium.
Mineral Comparison
Macronutrients
Proteins
Fruits are generally not considered protein sources, but they contain some amounts of them. Although the difference is not significant, nectarines provide more protein than oranges. They contain 1.1g of it per 100g, compared to 0.9g in oranges.
Carbohydrates
All fruits provide large amounts of carbohydrates. Oranges have more carbs than nectarines. Oranges have 11.8g of carbohydrates per 100g, while nectarines have 10.5g. Nectarines are lower in sugars than oranges.
Fiber
Oranges are higher in fiber than nectarines. They have 2.4 grams of fiber per 100 grams of fruit, compared with 1.7 grams in nectarines.
Oranges are high in soluble fibers, especially pectin and beta-glucan, which can maintain healthy blood glucose and cholesterol levels. The fiber level of oranges is higher than that of nectarines.
Orange juice is much lower in fiber than the whole orange.
Net carbs
Subtract the amount of fiber from the total carbs in the food to get the net carb amount. These are the carbohydrates used for energy synthesis.
Oranges provide 11.8 grams of carbs, with 2.4 grams of fiber. Nectarines provide 10.5 grams of carbohydrates and 1.7 grams of fiber per serving. Oranges have 9.4 grams of net carbs, while nectarines have 8.8 grams. Finally, nectarines have a lower net carb content.
Calories
Oranges have 47 calories per 100g of fruit, compared to 44 for nectarines. Both of them are low-calorie fruits.
Fats
Oranges and nectarines do not have significant amounts of fats. Oranges have 0.12 grams of fat per 100 grams of fruit, while nectarines have 0.32 grams. The two fruits do not contain any amount of cholesterol.
HEALTH IMPACT
Cardiovascular health
Regular consumption of oranges and nectarines can provide a successful defense against cardiovascular diseases. They both produce many compounds that help maintain a healthy heart.
Oranges help to boost heart health since they are high in vitamin C, carotenoids, and flavonoids, especially hesperidin (3) (4) (5). A study (6) shows that regular consumption of orange juice reduces cardiovascular disease risk factors, such as LDL cholesterol and C-reactive protein.
Nectarines may help in the treatment of anemia. This condition is caused by a lack of red blood cells or hemoglobin (7). This is due to nectarines' vitamin C content, which helps to convert iron into a more absorbable form (8). When combined with iron-rich foods, nectarine consumption can help to lower anemia risks.
Diabetes
Both fruits are good choices for people with diabetes. Oranges help to regulate sugar levels by containing higher amounts of fiber. A study (9) shows that people who had consumed oranges and citrus fruits were 36% less likely to be diagnosed with type 2 diabetes than those who had not eaten significant amounts of them.
The antioxidants in nectarines help to keep blood glucose levels in check. The four major antioxidant groups produced by nectarines are catechins, anthocyanins, chlorogenic acids, and quercetins. These phenolic compounds have anti-inflammatory and anti-obesity properties (10).
Cancer
Both nectarines and oranges have cancer-preventing effects due to their various compounds.
Oranges are involved in the prevention of lung (11), stomach (12), mouth (13), and nasopharyngeal (14) cancer.
Because of their antioxidant properties, nectarines may help to prevent cancer, though further research is needed to confirm this claim. Some studies have linked polyphenols in nectarines to cancer prevention (15). Men who eat nectarines regularly have a lower risk of lung cancer (16).
References
- https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/169914/nutrients
- https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/169097/nutrients
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25675136/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7284956/
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30475962/
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33350317/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6697587/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7460366/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8475213/
- https://agrilifetoday.tamu.edu/2012/06/18/peaches-plums-nectarines-give-obesity-diabetes-slim-chance/
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33529754/
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27457064/
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29753688/
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31826376/
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17131309/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2631557/
Infographic
Macronutrient Comparison
Fat Type Comparison
Comparison summary table
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| Lower in Saturated Fat |
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| Lower in price |
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| Lower in Sugar |
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| Lower in Glycemic Index |
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| Rich in minerals |
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| Lower in Sodium | Equal | ||
| Lower in Cholesterol | Equal | ||
| Rich in vitamins | Equal | ||
All nutrients comparison - raw data values
| Nutrient | |
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Opinion |
| Net carbs | 8.85g | 9.35g |
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| Protein | 1.06g | 0.94g |
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| Fats | 0.32g | 0.12g |
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| Carbs | 10.55g | 11.75g |
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| Calories | 44kcal | 47kcal |
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| Starch | 0.07g |
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| Fructose | 1.37g |
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| Sugar | 7.89g | 9.35g |
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| Fiber | 1.7g | 2.4g |
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| Calcium | 6mg | 40mg |
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| Iron | 0.28mg | 0.1mg |
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| Magnesium | 9mg | 10mg |
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| Phosphorus | 26mg | 14mg |
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| Potassium | 201mg | 181mg |
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| Zinc | 0.17mg | 0.07mg |
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| Copper | 0.086mg | 0.045mg |
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| Manganese | 0.054mg | 0.025mg |
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| Selenium | 0µg | 0.5µg |
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| Vitamin A | 332IU | 225IU |
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| Vitamin A RAE | 17µg | 11µg |
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| Vitamin E | 0.77mg | 0.18mg |
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| Vitamin C | 5.4mg | 53.2mg |
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| Vitamin B1 | 0.034mg | 0.087mg |
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| Vitamin B2 | 0.027mg | 0.04mg |
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| Vitamin B3 | 1.125mg | 0.282mg |
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| Vitamin B5 | 0.185mg | 0.25mg |
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| Vitamin B6 | 0.025mg | 0.06mg |
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| Folate | 5µg | 30µg |
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| Vitamin K | 2.2µg | 0µg |
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| Tryptophan | 0.005mg | 0.009mg |
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| Threonine | 0.009mg | 0.015mg |
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| Isoleucine | 0.009mg | 0.025mg |
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| Leucine | 0.014mg | 0.023mg |
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| Lysine | 0.016mg | 0.047mg |
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| Methionine | 0.006mg | 0.02mg |
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| Phenylalanine | 0.021mg | 0.031mg |
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| Valine | 0.013mg | 0.04mg |
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| Histidine | 0.008mg | 0.018mg |
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| Saturated Fat | 0.025g | 0.015g |
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| Monounsaturated Fat | 0.088g | 0.023g |
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| Polyunsaturated fat | 0.113g | 0.025g |
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Which food is preferable for your diet?
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| Low Fats diet |
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| Low Carbs diet |
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| Low Calories diet |
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| Low Glycemic Index diet |
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Vitamins & Minerals Daily Need Coverage Score
Comparison summary
References
The source of all the nutrient values on the page (excluding the main article the sources for which are presented separately if present) is the USDA's FoodCentral. The exact links to the foods presented on this page can be found below.
- Nectarine - https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/169914/nutrients
- Orange - https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/169097/nutrients
All the Daily Values are presented for males aged 31-50, for 2000-calorie diets.