‘An apple a day keeps the doctor away’ is an old adage that seems to be proving true, as study after study shows that apples confer a huge range of health benefits. A meta-analysis in 2003 of 7 studies involving over 100,000 people highlighted apples as significantly reducing the risk of heart disease, by an astonishing 20%; while the following year a meta-analysis of 85 studies found that eating apples was also linked to reduced risks cancer, type 2 diabetes and asthma.

Apples are rich in vitamins, minerals and fibre. A medium-sized (138g) apple provides around 6.3mg — 16% — of your daily immune system-boosting vitamin C requirement and a useful amount of your vitamin K intake, which helps your blood to clot normally. It is also packed with antioxidants, to the extent that 100g of apple and peel has the same antioxidant effect as 1500 mg of vitamin C. Apples’ low glycaemic index rating means snacking on them helps to keep blood sugar levels stable, which can ward off weight gain and, in the long-term, lifestyle diseases such as type 2 diabetes.

The high fibre content (around 2.4g/100g — 13% of your daily recommended intake), particularly the soluble fibre, pectin, found in the peel, helps to reduce both ‘bad’ LDL cholesterol levels and the risk of bowel cancer. It can also reduce the risk of dying of heart disease by up to 30%

Apple peel is also rich in antioxidant procyanidins, which have been shown to reduce the number of pre-cancerous colon cancer cells and could be used for future cancer treatments. Lab studies have shown that quercetin, a type of flavonoid found most abundantly in apples, can prevent the growth of human prostate cancer cells, while the National Cancer Institute in the States has reported that apple flavonoids could halve the risk of lung cancer. As it is good to eat the peel, make sure you buy organic apples so that the it has not been sprayed with pesticides.

Quantity is important, too: according to British epidemiological researchers, eating two apples a week reduces the risk of developing asthma by 22-32%, while a 28-year study in Finland found that people who ate the most apples had the lowest risk factors for thrombotic strokes.

And if you’re worried this is a lot of information to take on board in one go, don’t forget that US researchers have found that apples could improve your memory, cognitive function and ability to learn — and might even protect against Alzheimer’s disease.

This entry was posted on Sunday, July 1st, 2007 at 2:15 am and is filed under Heart Disease, Nutrition & Healthy Eating. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.