Peach pie: what a slice holds and who should pass on it

We found no study of peach pie as a food, so the strongest evidence here is about the added sugar a slice carries. A Cochrane review of randomized trials in healthy adults found that cutting added sugar changed systolic blood pressure by 1.44 mmHg (95% CI 0.08 to 2.80, 14 studies, 873 participants), graded low certainty, and no trial reported heart attacks or deaths. A slice is larger than most people picture. The US dietary survey codes a regular slice at 150 g, which works out to about 15 g of fat and 49 g of carbohydrate. That is recalculated from one legacy USDA record of 10 g of fat and 32.9 g of carbohydrate per 3.5 oz (100 g) that cannot show how much recipes differ. The caution that matters most is peach allergy. Italian allergists describe the main peach allergen, nsLTP, as stable to heat and to stomach enzymes, so baking should not be expected to remove it.

The numbers, per 3.5 oz (100 g)

As people eat it, per 3.5 oz (100 g)

How much is actually in it

• USDA puts peach pie at 10 g of fat and 32.9 g of carbohydrate per 3.5 oz (100 g), from a single legacy record with no sample range. — USDA SR Legacy record for Pie, peach (n = 1 record) Evidence E source
  Fat 10 g per 3.5 oz (100 g) (13% DV), carbohydrate 32.9 g (12% DV), folate 46 mcg (12% DV)

What a real portion looks like

• A regular slice of peach pie in the US dietary survey weighs 5.3 oz (150 g), which at USDA composition means about 15 g of fat and 49 g of carbohydrate. — FNDDS food code 53307000, Pie, peach, portion weights used to code NHANES recalls Evidence E source
  Mini slice 75 g, regular slice 150 g, large slice 250 g, whole 8-9 inch pie 1,200 g; regular slice is about 15 g fat and 49.4 g carbohydrate scaled from the SR Legacy 100 g values

What cooking and storage change

• Baking fresh fruit keeps 80% of its vitamin C and 60% of its folate by the USDA table, while canned fruit keeps only half of each. — USDA retention factors for the group Fruits and Fruit Juices, the group peach belongs to Evidence E source
  Baked fresh fruit (Retn_Code 151): vitamin C 80%, folate 60%, thiamin 80%, potassium 90%; canned fruit (Retn_Code 154): vitamin C 50%, folate 50%
• Allergists' consensus notes that the peach allergen nsLTP is heat- and pepsin-stable, so baking a pie should not be expected to remove it. — consensus document of the Italian allergists association AAIITO Evidence E source
  NsLTP prevalence 9.5% in Italy; heat- and pepsin-stable; can cause anaphylaxis

What it does to your health

• A Cochrane review of 21 trials found that cutting added sugar for about 14 weeks moved blood pressure and cholesterol only slightly, by about 1.4 mmHg systolic. — 21 RCTs, 1,110 healthy adults aged 22 to 57 on average, mean duration 14 weeks (n = 1110) Evidence A source
  Systolic BP MD 1.44 mmHg (95% CI 0.08 to 2.80), diastolic MD 1.52 (0.67 to 2.37), total cholesterol MD 0.11 (0.01 to 0.21); no trial reported cardiovascular events or death

Safety, limits and interactions

• Fresh peaches can carry Listeria: a 2022-2023 US outbreak linked to recalled whole peaches, plums and nectarines sickened 11 people in seven states and killed one. — 11 people with the outbreak strain in seven US states, 10 of whom were hospitalized (n = 11) Evidence E source
  11 ill, all 10 with information hospitalized, 1 death; outbreak declared over on January 30, 2024

What people believe that the data does not support

• Re-analyzing 30 sugar trials, researchers found no difference by whether free sugar came in drinks or in solid foods, though the data on foods were thin. — 30 randomized controlled trials of free and added sugars from the EFSA upper-level report (n = 30 trials) Evidence A source
  No interaction between sugar dose and food source for any outcome; within foods a linear positive regression for LDL cholesterol
• Observational data tie sugary drinks to type 2 diabetes, 25% higher risk per serving, while added sugar as such showed no link in two cohorts. — 29 prospective cohorts, healthy adults, added sugar analyzed in 2 cohorts of 31,004 people (n = 31004) Evidence C source
  Added sugar RR 0.99 (95% CI 0.96-1.01, low certainty); SSB RR 1.25 (1.17-1.35) per serving

Who this works differently for

• Among 57 Spanish children allergic to peach, 93% passed an oral challenge with peeled peach pulp, since the main allergen Pru p 3 sits mostly in the peel. — 57 children with reactions to peach, median age 7.4 years, Spain (n = 57) Evidence C source
  Oral challenge with peach pulp negative in 52 (93%); rPru p 3-specific IgE in 96%
• Peach was among the three most common causes of probable food allergy in adults in five European cities in the EuroPrevall survey. — random samples of the general adult population in 8 European centers, EuroPrevall Evidence C source
  Probable food allergy 0.3% (Athens) to 5.6% (Zurich); peach top-3 in Lodz, Utrecht, Zurich, Athens and Madrid
• FDA counts pregnant women and their unborn or newborn babies, adults over 65 and people with weakened immune systems as the high-risk groups for serious effects of listeriosis. — pregnant women and their unborn or newborn baby, adults over the age of 65, people with weakened immune systems Evidence E source
  Named as high-risk groups susceptible to the serious and adverse effects of listeriosis

The bottom line

Whether sugar in a dessert behaves differently from sugar in a drink is unclear. Re-analyzing 30 sugar trials, researchers found no difference by source for any outcome, but they call the analysis exploratory, and most trials ran under 3 months with 10 to 50 people per arm. Observational data tie each daily serving of sugary drinks to a 25 percent higher risk of type 2 diabetes (RR 1.25, 95% CI 1.17 to 1.35). Added sugar as such showed no link (RR 0.99, 0.96 to 1.01), in just two cohorts and at low certainty. That means sugar in solid desserts is less studied. It has not been shown harmless. Baking keeps 80 percent of the vitamin C and 60 percent of the folate in fresh fruit by the USDA retention table, against 50 percent of each in canned fruit. Those factors were set for fruit in general in 1975 and were never measured in a filling under a crust. Who should be careful. In the EuroPrevall survey of adults, peach was among the three most common causes of probable food allergy in Lodz, Utrecht, Zurich, Athens and Madrid, though challenge tests confirmed allergy in only 55 people and raw fruit dominated. The allergen behind the serious reactions, nsLTP, can cause anaphylaxis, and the claim that it survives a pie is an inference from its heat stability, since nobody in these sources measured it in baked pie. Among 57 Spanish children allergic to peach, 93 percent passed a challenge with peeled peach pulp, because the main allergen Pru p 3 sits mostly in the peel. That was raw peeled fruit given as a clinical food challenge in one center, not a test to try at home with an allergic child, and it tells you nothing about a pie baked with the skins on. Fresh peaches can also carry Listeria. A 2022 to 2023 US outbreak linked to recalled whole peaches, plums and nectarines made 11 people ill in seven states and killed one, and 10 of the 11 were hospitalized. That was whole fresh fruit. A pie baked through heats the filling, and the risk path is contaminated fruit in a pie served chilled or under-baked. That risk falls hardest on the groups FDA names for serious listeriosis: pregnant women and their unborn or newborn babies, adults over 65 and people with weakened immune systems.

Sources

1. peap-r8-01 · USDA FoodData Central SR Legacy, dataset
   Pie, peach (FDC 175020, SR Legacy, Baked Products): fat 10 g per 100 g = 13% DV; carbohydrate 32.9 g = 12% DV; folate 46 mcg = 12% DV; Foundation samples 0, CoFID match none
   USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy, FDC 175020 · checked 2026-10-02
2. peap-r8-02 · USDA FNDDS portion weights, dataset
   Pie, peach (FNDDS 53307000, fdc 2708002, WWEIA Cakes and pies): 1 mini/small slice 75 g; 1 regular slice 150 g; 1 large slice 250 g; 1 individual pie 150 g; 1 regular pie (8-9" dia) 1200 g; Quantity not specified 150 g
   USDA FNDDS, food code 53307000 (fdc 2708002) · checked 2026-10-02
3. peap-r8-03 · USDA Table of Nutrient Retention Factors, dataset
   USDA-RETN-R6:151 FRUITS,FRESH(NOT CITRUS),BAKED, group Fruits and Fruit Juices: folate_total_ug 60% retained, vitamin_c_mg 80%, thiamin_mg 80%, potassium_mg 90%; USDA-RETN-R6:154 FRUITS,CANNED: vitamin_c_mg 50% retained, folate_total_ug 50%, thiamin_mg 80%
   USDA Table of Nutrient Retention Factors, Release 6, 2007, Retn_Codes 151 and 154 · checked 2026-10-02
4. peap-r8-08 · expert consensus document
   nsLTP is heat- and pepsin-stable due to its 3D structure, causing severe allergic reactions, even anaphylaxis.
   Eur Ann Allergy Clin Immunol, 2024 · checked 2026-10-02
5. peap-r8-04 · Cochrane systematic review and meta-analysis of RCTs
   There was minimal effect on diastolic blood pressure (MD 1.52, 95% CI 0.67 to 2.37; I² = 0%; 13 studies; 873 participants) and on systolic blood pressure (MD 1.44, 95% 0.08 to 2.80; I² = 27%, 14 studies; 873 participants; low certainty of evidence), but no evidence of effect on fasting plasma glucose.
   Cochrane Database Syst Rev, 2022 · checked 2026-10-02
6. peap-r8-10 · public health outbreak report
   A total of 11 people infected with the outbreak strain of Listeria were reported from seven states. ... One death was reported from California.
   CDC, Listeria Outbreak, Peaches, Nectarines, and Plums, November 2023 · checked 2026-10-02
7. peap-r8-05 · meta-analysis of RCTs
   There were no interactions between Δ%Efs and food source for any outcome, and within a source there were linearly positive and statistically significant regressions for body weight (mixed), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C, foods), and uric acid (beverages).
   Nutrients, 2026 · checked 2026-10-02
8. peap-r8-06 · meta-analysis of cohort studies
   No associations were found for added sugar (RR: 0.99; 95% CI: 0.96, 1.01; low certainty) or fructose (RR: 0.98; 95% CI: 0.83, 1.15; very low certainty).
   Adv Nutr, 2025 · checked 2026-10-02
9. peap-r8-07 · diagnostic challenge study in children
   Oral food challenge was negative in 52 (93%) children. CONCLUSIONS: More than 90% of the study population tolerated peeled peach.
   Pediatr Allergy Immunol, 2013 · checked 2026-10-02
10. peap-r8-09 · cross-sectional population study
    Hazelnut, peach, and apple were the most common causative foods in Lodz, Utrecht, and Zurich. Peach was also among the top 3 causative foods in Athens and Madrid.
    J Allergy Clin Immunol Pract, 2019 · checked 2026-10-02
11. sf-listeriarisk-peachpie-1 · agency advice
    Pregnant women and their unborn or newborn baby, adults over the age of 65, and those with weakened immune systems, are all considered to be high-risk groups that are susceptible to the serious and adverse effects of listeriosis.
    Listeria (Listeriosis), US Food and Drug Administration, At-Risk Groups · checked 2026-10-08