Apples' health benefits

How eating an apple a day keeps the doctor away

New research indicates that eating an apple a day can have an important impact on your body and brain. The common apple is not merely a simple snack. Your gut bacteria will do well, your blood vessels will be healthier, your brain will function better, and it may even lower your chance of premature death by up to 35%!

An apple each day

The saying "an apple a day keeps the doctor away" has its origins in an old Welsh saying that first appeared in print in 1866. Eat an apple before bed to prevent the doctor from working for money in the old saying.

It seems that the saying may have some truth to it after all.

Regular apple consumption is associated with a lower risk of diabetes, cancer, and heart disease. They are packed with nutrients like fiber, vitamins, and vital chemical components called flavonoids.

The most effective parts

Apple skin contains a high concentration of flavonoids. Plants create them in order to protect themselves from disease, sunlight, and stress. Amazingly, you can have similar protective properties by consuming these plants!

 

The increase in the synthesis of the wonderful chemical nitric oxide is one way that researchers believe flavonoids can benefit our systems. It can control blood pressure, safeguard the health of your blood vessels, and have many other advantageous impacts on your body.

 

A hearty apple?

Dr. Catherine Bondonno of Edith Cowan University in Western Australia talks about her research on apples in the book Just One Thing. Her research has shown that eating apples, particularly with the skin on because that is where the flavonoids are concentrated, may help lower blood pressure and enhance the health of blood vessels within a few hours of consumption.

The University of Reading's researchers have also shown that regularly consuming apples could impact cholesterol levels. They observed that giving participants with slightly higher blood cholesterol two apples a day for eight weeks contributed to getting their cholesterol down to a healthy level. The juice did not have the same effect when consumed.

For the greatest benefit, consume the entire apple. Our bodies require both the fiber and flavonoids in the skin, and here's why:

Apples are not only delicious on their own or in food, but they also have lots of health advantages. "Apples have been linked to numerous health benefits, including improved gut health and reduced risk of stroke, high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease, obesity, and some cancers," says Jessica Levinson, RDN, a culinary nutrition specialist in Westchester, New York.

A medium-sized apple has 4.8 grams of fiber, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, making it a good source of the nutrient. Along with minor levels of other vitamins and minerals, the same apple is a strong source of vitamin C, providing 9.2 milligrams.

The ideal apple to eat is the a bit you prefer, according to Anzlovar, even though the nutrient and antioxidant content varies slightly amongst apples.

 

What kind of apples are best?

The anthocyanins in deep purple apples give them their color. It can be difficult to determine an apple's flavonoid amount just based on color because not all flavonoids have a color. Apples that are pink or yellow could additionally have a lot of flavonoids.

According to studies, the Golden Delicious and Pink Lady apples have the highest concentrations of flavonoids.

Any way you'd prefer it: stew, bake, etc.

The good news is that because flavonoids are very stable substances, boiling your apples won't affect their beneficial flavonoid levels.

In order to enjoy the benefits of apples for your digestion, blood vessels, cholesterol levels, and brain, leave the skin on whether you're enjoying an apple raw as a lunchtime snack or baking some into a dessert.

Health Benefits of Apples

The key to long life

According to a Dr. Bondonno study that followed more than 1,400 Australian women for 15 years, eating one apple each day was associated with a 35% lower risk of dying prematurely.

The results are amazing — only one apple every day can lengthen your life! A simple apple can benefit your heart, the gastrointestinal tract, and even brain's blood flow to keep it healthy.

 Apples may lower blood pressure and high cholesterol.

Enjoy a juicy apple, and you could be doing your pulse something beneficial. According to Anzlovar, studies have connected apple eating to a lower risk of cardiovascular disease, which may be due to the soluble fiber in apples' ability to lower cholesterol.

According to Mayo Clinic, soluble fiber breaks down in water to form a gel-like substance.

According to the University of Illinois, soluble fiber lowers the risk of atherosclerosis (restricted blood flow in the arteries due to plaque buildup) and heart disease by assisting in the prevention of cholesterol buildup in the lining of blood vessel walls. Additionally, it can assist in lowering blood pressure: In a previous study, it was discovered that a larger intake of soluble fiber was linked to a lower risk of cardiovascular disease.

According to earlier studies, frequently consuming apples (or pears) was linked to a 52 percent lower risk of stroke. Additionally, a study that was released in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition in February 2020 discovered that eating two apples a day helped study participants lower their triglyceride and LDL ("bad") cholesterol levels.

 

Apples Could Reduce the Risk of Alzheimer's

Time to start eating more apples and other flavonoid-rich foods like berries and tea. Research published in August 2020 in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that adults ages 50 and older who included only a small amount of flavonoid-rich foods like berries, apples, and tea in their diet were a whopping 2 to 4 times more likely to develop Alzheimer's disease and related types of dementia over 20 years compared with people who ate more flavonoid-rich foods.

On top of that, a review published in January 2020 in the journal Biomolecules found that quercetin, a flavonoid found in apples, protects neurons from oxidative damage and contains other anti-Alzheimer’s disease properties, too. But, the researchers say, more research needs to be done outside of a laboratory setting.

 

Consuming Fiber-Rich Foods, Such as Apples, Can Help With Digestion

You've probably heard that fiber helps with digestion, and it really does! The Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health asserts that fiber, both soluble and insoluble (i.e., not soluble in water), is crucial for digestion. And you're in luck because, according to the University of Illinois, apples come in both varieties.

with addition to helping you feel full by slowing down digestion, soluble fiber also delays the breakdown of glucose, which aids with blood sugar regulation. According to Harvard, insoluble fiber can help your body process meals, relieve constipation, and promote regularity.

Eat the apple skin since it provides the majority of the fruit's insoluble fiber, advises the University of Illinois.

 

Apples Are a Diabetes-Friendly Fruit

Think about including apples in your diet if you have type 2 diabetes. It's a popular fallacy that persons with diabetes cannot consume fruit, despite the fact that they are a fruit.

According to the Mayo Clinic, soluble fiber from apples can assist decrease the absorption of sugar into the blood and perhaps raise blood sugar levels. In addition, according to Mayo, a nutritious diet that contains insoluble fiber can reduce your risk of first getting type 2 diabetes.

In addition, a study of persons with type 2 diabetes found that routinely consuming soluble fiber helped lower insulin resistance and reduced blood sugar and triglyceride levels. The findings was published in August 2016 in Experimental and Therapeutic Medicine.

 

 Apples Can Help Maintain a Strong Immune System

Who wouldn't want a more powerful immune system as autumn approaches? Apples can be a crucial component of your immune system's toolbox.

Animal studies in the past showed that soluble fiber helped transform pro-inflammatory immune cells into anti-inflammatory and immuno-supportive ones. A high-dietary fiber diet aided in the protection of mice against the flu, according to a different animal study that was revealed in the journal Immunity in May 2018. (However, it's unclear if these consequences would apply to humans.)

However, there is evidence to think that apples may improve immunity, partly because they contain vitamin C, which supports the immune system. According to a recent thorough analysis, vitamin C has a variety of roles in supporting the immune system's operation. According to earlier study, it can, for instance, aid in enhancing the epithelium (a kind of tissue) barrier against infections and protect against environmental oxidative stress, such as that caused by pollution and radiation.

 

 Apples' Antioxidants May Aid in the Prevention of Cancer

Apples may help in the fight against cancer, even though there isn't one assured way to do it. According to Anzlovar, apples may lower the chance of developing certain types of cancer. Researchers believe this is because apples contain antioxidants. Apples are thought to contain a lot of antioxidants, and laboratory tests have demonstrated that these antioxidants help slow the growth of cancer cells.

According to a review written in October 2016 for the journal Public Health Nutrition, eating apples frequently is linked to a lower risk of developing some cancers, such as colorectal, oral, esophageal, and breast cancers.

Apples' fiber content may have benefits for avoiding cancer. According to a study that was released in March 2016 in the journal Pediatrics, women who consumed more high-fiber foods during childhood and early adulthood—especially a lot of fruits and vegetables—had a lower risk of developing breast cancer in the long run.

A diet rich in dietary fiber may help guard against colon cancer, breast cancer, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease, according to a different study that was released in January 2019 in the journal The Lancet.

 

 Consuming apples can promote healthy weight loss.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, eating a diet high in fruit (and vegetables) can help you keep a healthy weight or lose weight.

Apples rank highly on this list because they are packed with dietary fiber. Fiber keeps you full and reduces your likelihood of overeating, according to Levinson. Fiber also slows digestion and the rise in blood sugar.

The Lancet study found that those who consumed the most fiber had significantly lower body weights. According to earlier studies, obese women who consumed three apples daily lost 1.22 kilograms (2.7 pounds) after 12 weeks.

A medium-sized apple contains about 95 calories, making it a fruit you ought to always have on hand when you have a sweet tooth.

 

 Apples May Maintain Gut Health

It turns out that eating apples may be one way to benefit your digestive tract. Gut health is an increasing concern right now.

Pectin, a prebiotic starch, is a type of starch found in apples. According to the Cleveland Clinic, prebiotics are so important because they aid in feeding the "good" bacteria in your stomach. They also improve immunological function, stimulate the creation of hormones, and aid in the absorption of specific minerals (such as calcium and phosphorus).

 

According to a study published in July 2019 in Frontiers in Microbiology, apples also contain bacteria that may be good for your gut. The researchers did find that recently picked organic apples contain a more varied and distinct bacteria colony than conventionally grown store-bought apples, which is just more excuse to visit your neighborhood farmer's market, schedule an apple-picking trip, or start planting!

Enjoy your Apples and keep Healthy.

 

Source

https://www.everydayhealth.com/diet-nutrition/impressive-health-benefits-of-apples/

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/VBjMTXkNDQjD4wRTWL8nqK/how-an-apple-a-day-really-can-keep-the-doctor-away