“An Apple a Day…”
”…keeps the doctor away!”
Did you ever wonder if there was any truth to this old Welsh proverb? How could people make that claim so long ago—long before scientific researchers had donned white coats and entered into laboratories? Maybe it was simply anecdotal. Possibly the people seen around town munching on crunchy apples were the ones in notably better health, the ones who outlived their peers.
Can “an apple a day” truly improve one’s physical health in measurable ways? I had to find out for myself.
As it turns out, scientists have discovered three exciting, health-improving things about apple-eating which just may get you and I to eat more of these crunchy fruits, especially since they are so readily available.
Did you know consuming apples can help regulate your blood sugar? Phytonutrients, such as flavonoids, found in apples have been shown to inhibit the enzyme activity involved in the breakdown of complex carbohydrates into simple sugars. With this buffering effect on simple sugar quantities, blood sugar spikes can be moderated, protecting us against the onset of metabolic syndrome/type 2 diabetes (American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2012).
Another fascinating fact about apples is that they decrease the amount of bad cholesterol circulating in your blood stream. In a 2012 study, a group of researchers at The Ohio State University found that eating one apple each day reduced bad cholesterol by a full 40% in a group of healthy adults aged 40-60. This wonderful effect is believed to be due to the perfect combination of pectin and phytonutrients found within this “miracle fruit.”
And for the trifecta of health benefits, apple eating has been shown, in multiple studies, to lead to weight loss, both because the pectin in an apple doubles the time of digestion (which helps you to feel full longer) and because the peel of the apple contains ursolic acid, which has been linked to a lower risk of obesity.
Now, don’t you find apples to be that much more a-PEEL-ing? I know I do!