Pomelo vs. Guava — Health Impact and Nutrition Comparison

Calories

Guava provides more calories per hundred grams. A hundred grams of pomelo has 38 kcal, whereas guava provides 68 kcal.

Protein

Guava has more protein than pomelo. A hundred grams of pomelo provides 0.76g of protein, whereas guava has 2.55g.

Fats

Guava and pomelo are not good sources of fats and have less than 1g of fat. However, guava has over 24 times more fat. In a 100g serving, pomelo and guava have 0.04g and 0.95g of fat, respectively.

Fat Type Comparison

Fat type breakdown side-by-side comparison

Pomelo

1

Guava

2

Saturated Fat: Sat. Fat 0.272 g

Monounsaturated Fat: Mono. Fat 0.087 g

Polyunsaturated fat: Poly. Fat 0.401 g

Contains less Sat. FatSaturated Fat

-100%

Carbohydrates

Guava is higher in carb content. 100g of pomelo contains 9.62g of carbohydrates, of which 1g is dietary fiber and 8.62g are net carbs. 100g of guava contains 14.32g of carbohydrates, of which 5.4g are dietary fiber and 8.92g are net carbs.

Carbohydrate type comparison

Carbohydrate type breakdown side-by-side comparison

Pomelo

0

Guava

0

Cholesterol

Guava and pomelo are cholesterol-free.

Vitamins

Guava is the winner in this category. It is higher in all vitamins. Guava has 78 times more vitamin A and over four times more vitamin C. In a 100g serving, pomelo and guava have 8IU and 624IU of vitamin A, respectively. 

A hundred grams of pomelo provides 61mg of vitamin C, whereas guava has 228mg. Guava has over five times more vitamin B3, three times more vitamin B6, two times more vitamin B1, and 1.5 times more vitamin B2. Guava also provides small amounts of folate and vitamin K.

Vitamin Comparison

Vitamin comparison score is based on the number of vitamins by which one or the other food is richer. The "coverage" charts below show how much of the daily needs can be covered by 300 grams of the food.

Pomelo

0

Guava

11

Contains more Vitamin CVitamin C	+274.3%
Contains more Vitamin AVitamin A	+7700%
Contains more Vitamin B1Vitamin B1	+97.1%
Contains more Vitamin B2Vitamin B2	+48.1%
Contains more Vitamin B3Vitamin B3	+392.7%
Contains more Vitamin B6Vitamin B6	+205.6%

~equal in Vitamin D ~0µg

~equal in Vitamin B12 ~0µg

Minerals

Guava is the winner in this category. In a 100g serving, pomelo and guava have 216mg and 417mg of potassium, respectively. Guava has more phosphorus, calcium, magnesium, zinc, manganese, copper, and iron. On the other hand, pomelo has less sodium.

Mineral Comparison

Mineral comparison score is based on the number of minerals by which one or the other food is richer. The "coverage" charts below show how much of the daily needs can be covered by 300 grams of the food.

Pomelo

1

Guava

9

Contains less SodiumSodium

-50%

Contains more MagnesiumMagnesium	+266.7%
Contains more CalciumCalcium	+350%
Contains more PotassiumPotassium	+93.1%
Contains more IronIron	+136.4%
Contains more CopperCopper	+379.2%
Contains more ZincZinc	+187.5%
Contains more PhosphorusPhosphorus	+135.3%
Contains more ManganeseManganese	+782.4%

Oxalates

A hundred grams of guava has 6mg of oxalates, whereas pomelo is oxalate-free.

Glycemic Index

Pomelo has a higher glycemic index (GI) than guava. The glycemic index of pomelo is 78. Guava has a glycemic index of 31. The glycemic index of pomelo falls in the high category, whereas the GI of guava falls in the low category.

Glycemic Load

The glycemic load (GL) of pomelo is 13, whereas guava has a glycemic load level of 2. The glycemic load of pomelo falls in the medium category, while the GL of guava falls in the low category.

Acidity

The way to determine the acidity of a food is by calculating its potential renal acid load (PRAL), which indicates how much acid or base the food can produce in the body. Pomelo has a PRAL value of -3.7, while guava has a PRAL value of -6.8. Both fruits are alkaline-forming.

Diabetes

Guava leaves (GLP) have strong antioxidant properties and may significantly reduce blood sugar levels, insulin resistance, cholesterol, triglycerides, and other diabetic markers in mice (3). 

It may enhance glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity. Histopathological analysis showed that GPs protect pancreatic islet cells. The findings suggest that GPs could be a beneficial treatment for T2DM and may reduce the risk of associated complications (4).

According to the study, pomelo consumption did not cause significant glucose fluctuations in hospitalized T2D patients. This suggests that despite its high GI, pomelo can be a suitable fruit option for T2D patients when consumed in moderation (5). 

The study found that the antidiabetic effect was most significant in the group treated with pomelo juice, followed by fortified paranthas and naringin (6).

  Digestive Health

The pomelo peel dietary fiber may improve gut microbiota diversity by increasing beneficial bacteria and decreasing harmful bacteria. It may reduce the ratio of Firmicutes to Bacteroidetes, increase the presence of Bifidobacterium, Alloprevotella, and Lactobacillus, and lower the levels of Staphylococcus and Corynebacterium_1 (1).

Guava polysaccharide (GP) may normalize the Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes ratio, promote the growth of beneficial bacteria such as Clostridium XlVa, Parvibacter, and Enterorhabdus, and reduce levels of the inflammation-related bacteria Mucispirillum (2). This effect is achieved by increasing the production of short-chain fatty acids, notably butyric acid, within the colon.

Antimicrobial Properties 

The findings suggest that pomelo seeds and pulp ethanolic extract have antimicrobial properties. Antimicrobial testing against Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus, and Escherichia coli showed that the pomelo extract is more effective than the grapefruit extract, exhibiting larger inhibition zones for Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. However, the pomelo extract showed no activity against Candida albicans, possibly due to differences in the testing method (7). 

The studies suggest that ethanol and methanol are more effective than n-hexane and water for extracting the antibacterial properties of guava. Although these extracts didn't exhibit any antibacterial activity against Gram-negative bacteria, they did demonstrate a reduction in the growth of Gram-positive bacteria like Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus cereus (8).

Cancer

The various components of guava, including leaves, fruits, seeds, peels, pulp, bark, and oil, are rich in nutrients and antioxidants with medicinal properties. Research indicates that these bioactive compounds may have cancer-preventive and anticancer effects through various mechanisms (9).

According to the study, guava extracts can selectively inhibit the proliferation of cancer cells without harming normal cells (10). 

Flavonoids, such as neohesperidin and naringin, and other compounds like hesperidin, naringin, caffeic acid, p-coumaric acid, ferulic acid, vanillic acid, and buntanbismine in pomelo, have anticancer effects. Flavonoids play a role in cancer prevention by influencing cell proliferation and angiogenesis through signal transduction pathways (11).