What Are the Benefits of Hunza Apricots?

Apricots are the fruit most people associate with Hunza, and they are eaten there both fresh in summer and sun-dried through the winter. They are a good food. But the claims often made for them, that they are "exceptionally" rich in this or that, or that Hunza-grown fruit is nutritionally unlike any other, are harder to support. This page sets out what apricots actually contain, using standard USDA nutrient values, and what that means for a daily handful.

Fresh apricots versus dried apricots

Drying removes water, which concentrates almost everything except the nutrients that are lost in the process. According to USDA values, 100 g of raw apricots contains 48 kcal, 9 g of sugars, 2 g of fibre, 259 mg of potassium, 96 micrograms of vitamin A and 10 mg of vitamin C, and is 86 g water. The same weight of dried apricots contains 240 kcal, 53 g of sugars, 7 g of fibre, 1,160 mg of potassium, 180 micrograms of vitamin A and only 1 mg of vitamin C, with about 31 g of water.

Nobody eats 100 g of dried apricots in one go, so it helps to think in handfuls. A portion of about 30 g of dried apricots, roughly a few pieces, gives about 72 kcal, 2.1 g of fibre, 16 g of sugars and 348 mg of potassium. That is a useful contribution of fibre and potassium, and it is also a real amount of sugar for a small snack.

Beta-carotene and vitamin A

The orange colour of apricots comes from carotenoids including beta-carotene, which the body can convert into vitamin A. The recommended daily amount of vitamin A is 900 micrograms of retinol activity equivalents (RAE) for men and 700 for women, according to the NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, and 12 micrograms of dietary beta-carotene count as 1 microgram RAE. On the USDA figures above, 100 g of fresh apricots supplies about 96 micrograms of vitamin A, roughly 11% of the men's recommendation and 14% of the women's, and a 30 g portion of dried apricots supplies about 54 micrograms, roughly 6% and 8%. Apricots are a helpful contributor to vitamin A intake, not a complete source.

Iron: a modest source that needs help

Apricots are often described as an iron food. They contain iron, but it is non-haem iron, the form found in plants, and the NIH notes that the body absorbs about 2% to 20% of non-haem iron, compared with about 15% to 35% of haem iron from meat. Vitamin C eaten in the same meal improves non-haem iron absorption, while tea and some herbal infusions reduce it, as we explain in our herbal tea guide. Eating apricots will not by itself correct iron deficiency, and anyone with anaemia should follow a doctor's advice.

Sun-dried, sulphured, and what the label tells you

Many commercial dried apricots are treated with sulphur dioxide, a preservative that keeps them bright orange, whereas apricots dried without it are darker brown. The FDA requires sulphites to be declared on food labels when they are present at 10 parts per million or more, because some people react to them. Estimates suggest that between 3% and 10% of people with asthma may be sulphite-sensitive, so anyone with asthma should check the label. Our earlier page claimed that natural sun-drying "preserves enzymes, antioxidants and polyphenols". We could not find a study to support that claim, and one thing drying clearly does not preserve is vitamin C, which falls from about 10 mg per 100 g in fresh fruit to about 1 mg in dried.

Is Hunza fruit different?

We would like to tell you that Hunza apricots have unusual nutrient levels, and we cannot. The figures quoted above are general USDA values for apricots, not measurements of Hunza fruit, and we did not find a published comparison of Hunza apricots with apricots grown elsewhere. Earlier text on this page named "quercetin and chlorogenic acid" and "exceptionally high" beta-carotene and iron. Those statements were not backed by a source and we have removed them. What the region does have is a long tradition of growing and drying apricots, which is a reason to enjoy them without needing a nutritional superlative.

How to eat them

• Keep to a handful. About 30 g of dried apricots is a reasonable portion, and fresh fruit in season is an easy way to eat more with less concentrated sugar.
• Pair them with protein or nuts. Walnuts or yoghurt slow down the snack and make it more filling.
• Check the label. Look for fruit with no added sugar, and check for sulphites if you are sensitive.
• Take care with potassium. Dried apricots are concentrated in potassium, so people who have been told to limit potassium, for example with kidney disease, should ask their doctor.
• Soaking makes them softer and easier to eat. The tradition of drinking the soaking water as a tonic has no research behind it, but it does contain some of the fruit's sugar and potassium.

To see how apricots fit into a whole day, including fibre targets and walnuts, read our daily wellness routine guide. For the diet as a whole, see the Hunza valley diet page.

This page is general information, not medical advice. Speak to a healthcare professional about your diet if you have a medical condition.

Sources

• USDA nutrient values for raw and dried apricots, as tabulated in the Apricot reference article, accessed 21 September 2026.
• NIH Office of Dietary Supplements. Vitamin A and Carotenoids fact sheet (RDA and RAE conversion); Iron fact sheet (haem and non-haem absorption).
• US FDA and FASEB on sulphites in food: labelling at 10 ppm and sensitivity in some people with asthma.