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An apple a day keeps the doctor away
Heart Disease
Some of the same Finnish researchers conducted another long-term study on the association of dietary consumption of flavonoids and subsequent heart attack mortality. The primary sources of flavonoids were apples and onions. The scientists concluded, according to their report in the February 24, 1996 issue of British Medical Journal, that "the results suggest that people with very low intakes of flavonoids have higher risks of coronary disease." So eat apples for your heart's sake.
Dutch epidemiologists have made similar studies among their own populations, including a long-term monitoring of elderly residents in the city of Zutphen that began in 1985. Over the years a total of 11% of the men in the study died of ischemic heart disease. The key substance being studied was catechins, part of the flavonoid family, which were ingested mainly from apples, black tea and chocolate. The findings, reported in the August 2001 issue of American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, were that "catechin intake was inversely associated with ischemic heart disease." The conclusion: "Catechins, whether from tea or other sources, may reduce the risk of ischemic heart disease mortality." Eat apples, and wash them down with tea—sounds like a winning combination.
The Dutch researchers also did a study in 1998 to develop information on catechin intake by a representative population from very young to very old. Tea was the main source of catechins across all age groups, and apples and pears ran second for adults and the elderly. Smokers had lower catechin consumption than non-smokers, as did persons with lower socioeconomic status compared with those of higher socioeconomic status. The researchers noted in the February 2001 issue of European Journal of Clinical Nutrition that "catechins are quantitatively important bioactive components of the daily diet, which should be taken into account when studying the relation between diet and chronic diseases." And apples are rich in catechins.
Postmenopausal women would do well to eat plenty of apples, according to a Dutch-and-American study of nearly 35,000 Iowa residents from 1986 to 1998. A little over 2% of the subjects died from coronary heart disease during that period. An inverse association of catechin intake with risk of that disease was determined. The scientists wrote in the November 2001 Epidemiology that "of the major catechin sources, apples and wine were inversely associated with coronary heart disease death."
Cholesterol
Numerous studies over the past quarter century have shown that a diet rich in apples can help lower blood cholesterol. Pectin, a soluble fiber found in apples at a rate of .78 grams per 100 grams of edible fruit, is thought to play a significant role in that relationship. Other fruits and vegetables also contain pectin, but apples are a handy and excellent means toward cholesterol reduction.
How handy? Food scientists at the University of California at Davis studied the composition of apple juice, including phenols, anthocyanins and flavonols. They found that apple juice inhibits the oxidation of the harmful form of cholesterol (LDL, or low-density lipoprotein). That is, you can drink your apples, whether as cider or clarified apple juice, and help protect your circulatory system. The scientists wrote in Life Sciences in 1999, "Although the specific components in the apple juices and extracts that contributed to antioxidant activity have yet to be identified, this study found that both fresh apple and commercial apple juices inhibited copper-catalyzed LDL oxidation. The in-vitro antioxidant activity of apples supports the inclusion of this fruit and its juice in a healthy human diet." So drink up!
Continuity Counts
And keep at it! Dutch scientists studied the bioavailability of quercetin—that is, how well the human body absorbs it and retains it. If it goes right through your system without getting into your crucial cells, you could ingest all the apples you want and not derive the full benefit. The news out of this study is good. As the researchers reported in the November 24, 1997 issue of FEBS Letters, peak levels of quercetin from apples were found 2 1/2 hours after ingestion. The half-life for apples was 23 hours. In other words, after that period the level was still at half the peak. The researchers wrote, "Because of the long half-lives of elimination, repeated consumption of quercetin-containing foods will cause accumulation of quercetin in blood."
Want to keep the levels of that beneficial antioxidant high in your circulatory system and your cells?
Eat (or drink) an apple a day!! Because science supports that flavorful advice!
A study presented in the journal Thorax in January 2000 found that an apple a day (at least five per week) led to better lungs, with those who typically ate that many apples able to exhale more air from their lungs than the group that didn't eat the apples. The study covered a five-year period and 2,500 subjects and found that an antioxidant flavonoid could be the mitigating factor. If that isn't enough of a reason to eat apples, consider these factors.
- The flesh of an apple is a good source of soluble fiber, which can help lower cholesterol levels and regulate blood sugar levels.
- The antioxidants in apples can keep cells from becoming damaged or mutating.
- Apples are a natural toothbrush, stimulating your gums and helping to produce saliva.
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