10 Surprising Ways Apples Are Good for Your Health

by Michelle Schoffro Cook
Care2.com

Martin Luther once said, “even if I knew that tomorrow the world would go to pieces, I would still plant my apple tree.” New research gives more reasons than ever to plant apple trees and enjoy their delicious and nutritious fruit. Here are ten surprising reasons to sink your teeth into an apple today:

1. Research found that when healthy adults consumed an apple fifteen minutes before eating a meal, they ate 15 percent less at the meal. This simple habit can result in weight loss for anyone looking for an easy and healthy way to lose weight.

2. In other studies, apples have been shown to significantly alter the amounts of the bacteria Clostridiales and Bacteroides in the large intestine, conferring gastrointestinal health benefits.

3. Thanks to their phytonutrient content, apples have been show to lower the risk of asthma and lung cancer in numerous studies.
4. In a study funded by the USDA, postmenopausal women who ate dried apples daily experienced a 23 percent reduction in LDL cholesterol (the one known as “bad cholesterol”) and a 4% increase in HDL cholesterol (“the good cholesterol”) within six months.

5. In a British study published in BMJ, researchers found that eating an apple a day was as effective as statin drugs to lower cholesterol levels, without the harmful side-effects. They also found that if 70% of the British population simply ate an apple on a daily basis, 8500 lives would be spared every year from heart attacks or strokes.

6. Researchers at Tufts University found that catechin polyphenols found in apples speed abdominal fat loss by 77 percent and double weight loss in overweight individuals. Catechins also improve the body’s ability to use insulin, thereby preventing wild blood sugar fluctuations that effect energy, mood, and cravings.

7. Apples contain flavonoids (including catechin polyphenols and quercetin), which have been shown to interfere with the development of cancer cells and preventing their ability to multiply.

8. Research in the journal Nutrition Reviews found that a diet that’s too low in magnesium increases the risk of cancer. Apples are a good source of magnesium.

9. According to research in the International Journal of Biological Macromolecules scientists found that apple oligosaccharides showed an ability to inhibit human colon cancer cells. Oligosaccharides are complex carbohydrates. The apple compound induced a process known as apoptosis, which is the body’s mechanism to kill damaged or cancerous cells. They also found that the apple oligosaccharide stopped the growth of new cancer cells. They concluded: “Apple oligosaccharide is a potential chemoprevention agent or anti-tumor agent and is worthy of further study.”

10. Apples contain a natural compound known as malic acid, which helps improve energy production in the body. It has been found to aid fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome.

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