Does An Apple A Day Really Keep The Doctor Away?
by Dr Chen Tai Ho | Jun 27, 2015
Hi everyone, I hope you are having a lovely weekend of rest and relaxation. For today’s topic, I want to look at the health benefits you get when making apples part of your regular diet. Everyone has surely heard the famous saying “an apple a day, keeps the doctor away” but how true is this? No doubt apples are highly nutritious foods, but how does it improve our health?
Nutritional benefits
When we think of fruits that are rich in vitamin C, the first one that springs to mind are oranges. However, apples are also rich sources of vitamin C – a natural and powerful antioxidant which can prevent damage caused by free radicals in our bodies. Studies have also shown that vitamin C can improve the body’s resistance against infectious agents, which is good news for our general health!
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| Apples are a rich source of vitamin C! (pic from thenumber1.com) |
It also has B-complex vitamins such as thiamine, riboflavin and vitamin B6 which are important to help maintain your red blood cells, as well as keeping the nervous system in a healthy condition.
Apples are also high in fibre, and having a large amount of fibre in your diet can help prevent some types of diseases from developing. It can also stop the number of bad cholesterol in your blood from rising to unhealthy levels.
Apples also contain miscellaneous minerals such as phosphorus, calcium and potassium, all of which are useful to maintain the general health of your body.
What about the health benefits?
The health benefits of consuming apples are widespread. One of the main aesthetic benefits is that it helps to whiten your teeth! This is because biting and chewing apples helps to increase the production of saliva in your mouth, which can cause a reduction in tooth decay due to the lower levels of bacteria!
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| You could get a million dollar smile thanks to an apple. (pic from thehealthjournals.com) |
Apples may also offer protection against Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s diseases. In a study, apples were found to “protect neuron cells against oxidative stress-induced neurotoxicity” – in other words, this helps to reduce the chances of developing neurodegenerative diseases. It also contains a special antioxidant called “quercetin”, which lowers the amount of cellular death cause by oxidation and inflammation of neurons as well!
The reduction of cholesterol is also a very real possibility, as the soluble fibre in apples can latch and bind itself with the fats present in the intestines. As a result, your cholesterol levels are lowered and also leads to a slower build-up of cholesterol in your arteries. If your arteries are clogged, it can lead to heart disease as the blood flow to the heart is decreased, so eating apples may be a good idea, especially if your family has a genetic history of heart conditions.
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| Apples can help to reduce cholesterol levels, and in turn, heart diseases. (pic from bhmpics.com) |
The amount of soluble fibre present in apples can also be useful to combat the risk of diabetes. Soluble fibre helps to prevent large swings in blood sugar levels, and studies have shown that women who consume at least one apple daily are 28% less likely to develop type 2 diabetes. Guess the famous saying is based on truth after all!
Until next time, stay healthy!
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