An apple a day could literally keep the doctor away.
Apples are delicious and refreshing fruits that are used in a variety of dishes or enjoyed right off of the tree. Though apples and their juice is loved for the sweet amazing flavor, the impact that apples have on your health may be surprising as well. Nutrition is nature's health insurance!
- Weight loss: A study out of Brazil concluded that women who consumed 3 apples or pears a day and dieted lost more weight than women who dieted and didn't eat the fruit.
- Breast cancer prevention: A Cornell University study found that rats fed apples every day had a decreased chance developing breast cancer. The greater amount of apples the rate were fed, the lower the risk of breast cancer.
- Alzheimer's prevention: A Cornell University study on mice found that the quercetin in apples may protect the brain from the type of free radical damage that could cause Alzheimer's disease.
- Bone protection: French researchers found that a flavanoid called phloridzin that is found only in apples may protect post-menopausal women from osteoporosis and could increase bone density as well. Apples also contain boron, another bone strengthening compound.
- Diabetes management: The pectin in apples supplies galacturonic acid to the body which lowers the body's need for insulin and could aid in the management of diabetes.
- Asthma: A recent study concluded that children who consume apple juice daily suffer from the symptoms of asthma less than those who did not. Another study showed that children born to women who consume a lot of apples had a lower rate of asthma than those born to mothers who ate less apples.
Check out this PBS segment on apples
