Health benefits of apples
Make Apple the Apple of your Eye!
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 - reddy apple, reddy cheek
The thought behind the sentiment expressed in the rhyming poem “An apple A Day” is to encourage the children to eat healthily and wisely and that would be eating an apple or more everyday. In Norse mythology, apples are given a more positive persona: a magic apple is said to keep people young forever.Our forebears instinctively came to that same idea and adopted the maxim, "An apple a day keeps the doctor away." Yet, on a physiological basis, they did not know why apple consumption was associated with health. Modern scientific studies are unraveling the reasons.
So why is it that we never hear an orange or a banana a day keeps the doctor away? It is because apples have properties that no other fruits have and its benefits have been proven overtime. According to the latest research, the old saying, "An apple a day keeps the doctor away," is not just folklore, it is factual. The significant nutritients found in apples like fiber, flavonoids, and fructose, translate into its ability to keep us healthy.
It’s a Sin not to Eat Apples
Apples have long been associated with the biblical story of Adam and Eve which told us that Adan was tempted by Eve, took a bite of an apple, commited a sin, and the story goes on. While there is no mention that the fruit in question was actually an apple, modern scientific studies indicate that it would be more sinful not to eat an apple a day. Here are the reasons why:
Apples are one of the main sources of flavonoids in the Western diets, providing approximately 22% of the total phenols consumed per capita in the United States. Studies show that flavonoids is responsible for the health benefits of apples. Apple extracts are powerful antioxidants and are remarkably protective against oxidation. Further investigations showed that fructose, a fruit sugar, in apples stimulated the production of uric acid in the body, which provided the plasma antioxidant capacity. This effect could be clearly attributed to the antioxidant polyphenol/flavonoid content in the apple extracts, which prevented or delayed the oxidation of other plasma antioxidants and constituents, such as lipids or proteins.
It is also found out that an increased intake of apples has been correlated with a decreased risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and incidence of thrombotic stroke. The mechanisms by which flavonoids may lower chronic disease risk remain to be fully elucidated. Therefore, it is conceivable that the health benefits of flavonoid-rich foods are related to the antioxidant protection of biological macromolecules, such as lipids, proteins, and DNA. Laboratory experiments conducted also shows that regular consumption of apples keeps the skin from wrinkling, promotes hair growth.In addition, scientific research continues to build more and more evidence that antioxidants in apples are protective against cardiovascular disease and cancer development.
Cornell University has conducted the first-ever study on the direct effects of apples on breast cancer prevention in animals. “An apple a day can keep breast cancer away,” according to a study in rats by food scientists. They credit apples' strong protective action to the synergistic interactions among the wide variety of potent antioxidant and antiproliferative phytonutrients, including phenolics and flavonoids, they contain. On the other hand, a study published in Calcified Tissue International says that a flavonoid found only in apples called phloridzin may help prevent bone loss associated with menopause. If you're moving through menopause, certainly eating an apple a day may help you keep bone loss at bay.
In several studies conducted in the United Kingdom, Finland and the Netherlands, apple consumption was found to be inversely linked with asthma and type 2 diabetes, and positively associated with general lung health.
Researchers attribute apples' protective effects in these conditions to apples' high concentration of anti-inflammatory flavonoids, such as quercitin and catechin. In addition to their beneficial effects against chronic diseases including cancer, cardiovascular disease, asthma and diabetes, apples may also help combat cholera.
Apples are also included in the list of “Foods that Help Rid the Body of Mercury.”Mercury binds tightly to sulfur based proteins and can be unleashed by chelating agents. Apple is considered as a chelating agent. It is found out that foods that promote bile production are beneficial in excreting heavy metals and apples contain pectin that bind to heavy metals in the body (in particular in the colon) and help their excretion. This reduces the load on the liver and its detoxification capacities.
Why not try memorizing the rhyme “an apple a day”? It sounds funny, okay, but doing so may remind you to eat an apple a day. Avoid committing the greatest sin of not eating an apple a day. Take a bite just like Adam did and you're sure to be happy you did.
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