Who hasn’t heard of the saying, “An apple a day keeps the doctors away”? There is no doubt that apples are among the healthiest fruits, packed with nutrients that fight serious diseases like pancreatic, colorectal, liver and breast cancers, and heart disease and Parkinson’s disease. Recent researches have shown that apples regulate blood sugar and cholesterol, which means that diabetics can benefit from regular apple consumption.

Health Benefits of Apples

• For Heart Disease, Hypertension and other Heart-related Diseases - Apples are low in calories and high in pectin, the soluble fiber that lowers bad LDL cholesterol, which contributes to arterial damage. This means that apples are also potent against atherosclerosis, heart disease, hypertension (because arterial damage leads to high blood pressure) and other heart-related diseases. Apples are also rich in quercetin, a flavonoid that prevents bad LDL cholesterol from oxidizing to a more dangerous form. Pectin in apples interacts with other apple phytonutrients to provide a blood fat lowering effect. According to an article entitled Apples: What’s New and Beneficial About Apples, published in the World’s Healthiest Foods Website, “Recent research has shown that intake of apples in their whole food form can significantly lower many of our blood fats.” WHF recommends that apple in its whole food form (plucked from the tree) provides the most cardiovascular benefits.

• To Fight Diabetes – Apples are rich in phytonutrients, which help regulate blood sugar. Polyphenols in apples keep the blood sugar from spiking too much, and they lessen glucose absorption from the digestive tract. Polyphenols stimulate pancreatic beta cells to secrete insulin, thus apples are good for diabetics.

• Anti Cancer Fighter – According to an article entitled 15 Health Benefits of Eating Apples, published in Best Health Magazine’s website, scientists from the American Association for Cancer Research and other researchers agree that apple flavonoids reduce the risk of pancreatic cancer by up to 23 percent. Apple peel is rich in triterpenoids, a compound that stunts malignant cell growth in liver, colon and breast cancer. The high fiber in apples reduces the risk of colorectal cancer, which is why the U.S. National Cancer Institute recommends high fiber intake to combat cancer.

• Against Parkinson’s Disease – Fruits that are high in fiber and free-radical fighting antioxidants, like apples, help protect against Parkinson’s disease, which leads to the breakdown of the brain’s dopamine-producing nerve cells – a result of free-radical activities.

• Apples also fight Allergies – Apple skin is rich in quercetin, the prime nutrient in apples that fights allergies because of its anti-inflammatory effects, allergies being largely an inflammatory reaction.

Surely everyone knows that apples are among the healthiest foods. It fights the most dreaded diseases like heart disease and Parkinson’s disease. It lowers blood sugar and blood fat levels, thus protecting against, or preventing, atherosclerosis and hypertension. Aside from these health benefits, apples are among the most delicious foods. So what are you waiting for?

Sources:

Apples: What’s New and Beneficial About Apples. The World’s Healthiest Food (website). Accessed December 29, 2011.

15 Health Benefits of Eating Apples. Best Health Magazine (website). Accessed December 29, 2011.

Foods that Harm, Foods that Heal. The Reader’s Digest. 2004. New York. 416 pages. Hardbound.

Image of Apples by Waldo Jaquith, Flickr.com

Disclaimer: The information contained in this article is for educational purposes only and should not be used for diagnosis or to guide treatment without the opinion of a health professional. Any reader who is concerned about his or her health should contact a doctor for advice.