An Apple a Day Keeps the Doctor Away

Posted on May 10, 2007 in Health by byronb

This old adage is now getting more and more support from the scientific community. A lot of research is now underway in various parts of the world to uncover the exact benefits of the apple. Although apples are known to be healthy and good for you, many feel the need to unravel all the medicinal secrets it holds for the maintenance of good health.

What’s in an apple?
Apples are tasty and therefore popular everywhere. They contain sucrose and fructose, which are forms of natural sugar. Some other ingredients present in apples are malic acid, citric acid, tartaric acid, folic acid, tannins, and 250 trace chemicals like esters, alcohols and aldehydes. Phytochemicals, such as flavonoids and polyphenols, which are plant chemicals, are present in the flesh and the skin of apples. When you eat an apple, it supplies all these to your body. It also supplies potassium, calcium and Vitamin C, apart from tiny quantities of Vitamin B, zinc, magnesium and iron.

Apples in history
The Greek physician, Hippocrates, who is considered the father of modern medicine, is understood to have included apples among his remedies. This was almost 2500 years ago. Now, scientists have been conducting studies in a big way to unearth the health-giving uses of the apple.

Recent studies
Cornell University scientists have found that apples have antioxidant and anti-cancer properties because they have phytochemicals in them. Since apples are high in fiber, they are good for digestion. They are rich in pectin, a soluble fiber, which is found to help the growth of good bacteria in the digestive tract. This improves digestion and makes excretion easy and comfortable. Because pectin also helps reduce high cholesterol and blood sugar levels, apples work very well for people with coronary artery disease and diabetes.

Researches done at the UCLA Center for Human Nutrition, Los Angeles, California, have found that red apples contain, apart from phytochemicals like flavonoids, other powerful antioxidants called anthocyanins. The antioxidants are found to improve the immune system and prevent heart problems and even certain types of cancers. The National Food Research Institute in Japan conducted studies on the apple’s benefits to the brain. Adult volunteers were asked to peel apples with a knife and while they were doing this, the scientists monitored the blood flow in the various parts of the brain of the volunteers. They found that there was a significant increase in the blood flow to the front lobes of the brain, which means that these parts of the brain became more active than normal. The beneficial effects of the apple on the functioning of the brain are also supported by the Tampa study. There is evidence that apples slow down deterioration of mental processes in aged people.

According to another Japanese research, apples are good for reducing the abdominal fat and the strengthening of the muscles in the body.

Green apples are good for cleansing the liver and the gallbladder. They soften the gallstones as well. If you eat raw apples, they massage your gums and clean you teeth.

Eat an apple a day and you can keep the doctor, the dentist and several other medical professionals away. The old wives’ tale is getting the backing of the modern scientists.

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