An apple a day keeps the doctor away
Apple in the morning – Doctor’s warning
Roast apple at night – starves the doctor outright
Eat an apple going to bed – knock the doctor on the head
Three each day, seven days a week – ruddy apple, ruddy cheek
No one knows who wrote the rhyme or when, but today’s doctors have little to fear from this famed fruit. In fact, experts continue to investigate how it can prevent illness — and we may want to take the latest research to heart. Researchers at Florida State University recently found that a daily dose of apples helps combat two serious risk factors affecting cardiovascular health.
An apple a day keeps cholesterol and inflammation away
The study, recently presented at the Experimental Biology 2011 conference in Washington, D.C, followed 160 women aged 45-65 over the course of a year. Researchers divided participants into two groups: the first group ate 75 g (2.5 ounces) of dried apples each day while the second group ate prunes — another fruit known for its healthy benefits. Blood tests were taken at the 3, 6 and 12 month points to measure heart health.
The results? The women who ate apples on a daily basis saw their total cholesterol drop by about 14 per cent. Their LDL cholesterol level — the “bad” cholesterol we’re always told to watch — dropped by 23 per cent.
“The pulp of an apple gets to be a very viscous gel-like substance that grabs cholesterol and pulls it out of the body. It’s kind of like nature’s toothbrush, and it’s brushing the bad stuff out,” explained dietician Jessica Shapiro in an article on Health Day.
There were even some modest gains in good cholesterol (about 4 per cent), but the benefits don’t end there. The study also found apples reduced the levels of damaging lipid hydroperoxide and C-reactive protein (CRP) in the blood by about one third each. Why does that matter? Both contribute to chronic inflammation in the body — which in turn raises heart disease and cancer risk.
What about the participants who ate prunes instead? They saw some slight reductions in cholesterol and inflammatory markers, but the benefits paled in comparison to the apples.
What about weight gain? You might think the extra 240 calories a day of dried applies might cause weight gain, but participants lost an average of 1.5 kg (3.3 pounds) during the study. Experts believe the soluble fibre in apples helped curb participants’ appetites.
While more research needs to be done, the study’s authors note that eating more apples can have healthy benefits — and two might just be better than one. (Read the study abstract and the article on WebMD for more details.)
