Figs: In-Depth Nutrition, Diets, Health, & More

Calories

A 100g serving, or two medium figs, provides only 74 calories, making figs relatively low in calories.

What Do 74 Calories or 100 Grams of Figs Look Like?

Our team conducted measurements to visually represent the weight and calorie content of 100 grams of figs. In the image below, you can observe that one and a half figs together make up 100 grams, equivalent to 74 calories. This implies that one individual fig weighs approximately 65 grams, with a calorie content of about 48 calories. It's essential to note that these values may vary based on the size and ripeness of the figs.

Protein

A 100g of figs contains less than 1 gram of proteins. Of its little protein, tryptophan, threonine, isoleucine, valine, and histidine are comparably in higher amounts.

Fat

Figs have almost no fats: 0.3g per 100g serving, meaning they are very low in saturated fats and have no trans fats or cholesterol.

Carbs

Fig fruits mainly contain water and carbohydrates as major macro nutritional components. The total carbohydrate amount per 100g of figs equals 19.18g.

Vitamins

Figs are a great source of vitamin C, vitamin A, and vitamin K. They are also rich in vitamins B6, B1, B2, B3, and B5, listed in order of the amounts within, from high to low. Figs also contain some amounts of vitamin E, but they absolutely lack vitamin B12, vitamin B9, and vitamin D.

Minerals

Figs contain copious amounts of calcium and potassium. They are also high in manganese, magnesium, copper, and iron.

Zinc, phosphorus, choline, and selenium can be found in low to moderate amounts. Figs are low in sodium.

Oxalates

Oxalates or oxalic acids are antinutrients found in many vegetables, nuts, fruits, and grains and are linked to calcium oxalate kidney stones.

People at risk of developing calcium oxalate kidney stones should avoid figs as they are high in oxalates. 

According to one study, 100g of dried figs contain 95mg of oxalates, whereas according to another, they contain 56.6mg (5, 6).

Phytochemicals

Phytochemicals, also called phytonutrients or antioxidants, are biologically active compounds produced by plants. Most benefit human health and decrease the risk of heart disease and cancer by scavenging free radicals.

The main phytochemicals in figs are anthocyanins, rutin, and carotenoids (lutein, zeaxanthin, β-cryptoxanthin, and β-carotene). However, other flavonoids and phenolic compounds, such as phenolic acids, flavones, flavonones, flavonols, and proanthocyanidins, are also present.

Darker varieties and fresh figs are richer in phytochemicals. Growing region, variety, harvesting time, and ripeness of fig also affect its phytochemical content (7).

PRAL

Food’s PRAL or Potential Renal Acid Load value shows how much acid is produced in the organism by the given food. The PRAL value of fig is -4.9, making it alkaline or base-producing.

Allergy

Fig allergies are not that common, with only a few cases reported. The main manifestations are usually either an anaphylactic reaction or an oral allergy syndrome. People with a fig allergy can often feel a tingling, itching, or swelling sensation in the mouth right after consuming the fruit. The most common allergens in figs are the proteins related to the skin (9).

Fig trees can also cause skin rashes, called phytophotodermatitis, due to compounds within fig leaves called furocoumarins, consisting of psoralen, bergapten, and others. Phytophotodermatitis is a toxic reaction due to skin exposure to certain plants, followed by exposure to sunlight. It is not a photoallergic reaction but rather a phototoxic one, meaning prior sensitization is not necessary, and anyone can be affected by it (10).

Scientists have discovered a cross-reactivity between fig fruit, the weeping fig, and other fruits like kiwi, papaya, avocado, pineapple, and banana. Dependent sensitization to rubber latex allergens was not found (11).

Diabetes & Glycemic Index

Studies have found that due to a phytohormone called abscisic acid, fig fruit extract supplementation can be a promising nutritional change for diabetes management. It may improve acute postprandial glucose and insulin homeostasis and be a possible adjunctive treatment for blood sugar management in prediabetes and type 2 diabetes (12, 13).

Another research has treated experimental diabetes in rats with fig fruit extracts, confirming that figs’ antioxidant properties ameliorate diabetic conditions (14).

Dried figs have a medium glycemic index value of 61 and a low glycemic load of 5. Compared to dried figs, dates and raisins have a higher glycemic index.

However, prunes, dried apples, peaches, and apricots have a lower glycemic index (15).

Incorporating a decoction of fig leaves as a supplement for breakfast has been proven to help patients with type 1 diabetes lower their daily required insulin dose by 12% (16).

The aqueous extract of Ficus carica leaves has been proven to have significant hypoglycemic effects in streptozotocin-diabetic rats after an oral or intraperitoneal administration (17).

Cancer

Compounds within fig latex, like sitosterols and acyl moieties, primarily palmitoyl and linoleyl alcohol, have been established to be potent cytotoxic agents, showing inhibitory effects on the proliferation of various cancer cell lines during in vitro experiments (18).

Fig tree latex and leaves can be used as a potential treatment for colorectal cancer cells due to their antiproliferative and apoptosis-inducing qualities (19).

Another study has found the active compounds bergapten and psoralen to play an important role in the anticancer effects of fig tree leaves. Ficus carica leaves can be a good source to use in the development of drugs for suppressing cancer cell growth and migration against breast cancer (20), as well as cervical (21) and liver cancers (22).

Cardiovascular System

Research has shown that the aqueous methanol extract of the fig fruit decreases the blood pressure of glucose-induced hypertensive rats, presenting with strong negative inotropic and chronotropic effects (23). This makes the fig fruit a potential substance for developing natural hypotensive drugs.

Ficus carica leaf extracts can also play a role as a food supplementation for poultry, as adding the extract significantly reduces the levels of triglycerides and total cholesterol production in poultry liver (24).

Other studies have also shown fig leaf extracts to have hypolipidemic (blood lipid lowering) effects in lab animals. One study showed that the extract improves the lipid profile and decreases adipogenic risk factors in high-fat diet rats (25).

Another research found the leaves to significantly affect carbohydrate metabolism enzymes, promising hypoglycemic and hypolipidemic activities in type 2 diabetic rats (26).

Nevertheless, when it comes to the direct effects of the fig leaf extract on humans, it has not been proven yet. A study concluded that consumption of dried figs does not decrease serum low-density lipoprotein, or “bad” cholesterol, and total cholesterol concentrations. On the contrary, total cholesterol levels increased in the subjects (27).

The fruit has been studied to repress adenosine-5-diphosphate and adrenaline-induced human platelet aggregation, expressing antiplatelet activity. The ripe dried fruit also exhibited spasmolytic activity, most probably mediated by activating potassium ion ATP channels (28).

Digestive System

Figs are often used in traditional medicine to treat constipation and various digestive issues. Scientists have researched some of those effects.

A study has shown the aqueous extract of fig leaves to have a natural laxative effect without causing diarrhea and to ameliorate functional gastrointestinal motility disorders (29).

Figs can also be used as an effective treatment for constipation in animals, proving that fig paste may be useful as complementary medicine for people suffering from chronic constipation (30).

Consumption of figs may help people with irritable bowel syndrome, improving symptoms such as frequency of pain, frequency of defecation, abdominal distention, and stool consistency (31).

In different studies over the years, figs have also been researched to have many more properties, such as hepatoprotective, antibacterial, antipyretic, antituberculosis, anthelmintic, antimutagenic, antifungal, antiviral, anti-inflammatory, and others (28, 32).