Sulfur-containing compounds are often added to dried foods like apricots as preservatives to help prevent oxidation and bleaching of colors. The sulfites used to help preserve dried apricots cause adverse reactions in an estimated one out of every 100 people, who turn out to be sulfite sensitive.
At the end of 18 months, however, the pear-shaped people had gained back half of the weight they had lost on either diet. Apple-shaped people gained back almost 1.4 of the 2.3 kg they lost on the low-fat diet but kept off all the weight they lost on the low-glycemic diet.
This ready-to-eat feature may make them more acceptable to some people than European pears that are usually served when soft and juicy, which takes about a week to occur after removal from cold storage. Asian pears do not change texture after picking or storage as do European pears such as Bartlett or Comice.