6 reasons to eat more apples
Updated: May 20, 2014
Picked more apples than you can chew and need some motivation? These six reasons to eat apples will help get you started
Source: Best Health Magazine, October 2008
1. Maintain your smile
While apples don’t actually clean the teeth, biting and chewing an apple stimulates production of saliva, reducing tooth decay by lowering the levels of bacteria in the mouth.
2. Boost your brain
An apple a day could help keep your memory sharp. Quercetin, an antioxidant that is found mainly in the skin, has proven more effective than vitamin C at protecting brain cells from oxidative damage.
3. Help protect against cancer
Researchers at Cornell University have identified several compounds’triterpenoids’in apple peel that have potent anti-growth activities against cancer cells in our liver, colon and breast. Previous Cornell research found that extracts from whole apples can reduce the number and size of mammary tumours in rats.
4. Clear your arteries
Apples have cardiovascular protective properties similar to grapes, according to a French study published earlier this year. The study, done on hamsters, showed that the long-term consumption of phenolic compounds found in both apples and grapes effectively decreases the buildup of fats on artery walls. Processing the fruit into juice increases the body’s ability to use these antioxidants.
5. Keep the doctor away
Adults who consume apples, apple juice and applesauce are 27 percent less likely to be diagnosed with metabolic syndrome ‘a cluster of health problems linked to chronic diseases such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease. In addition, these adults had smaller waistlines and lower blood pressure.
6. Decrease risk of diabetes
Women who eat at least one apple a day are 28 percent less likely to develop type 2 diabetes than those who don’t eat apples. It helps that apples are loaded with soluble fibre’the key to blunting blood sugar swings. A medium apple supplies an impressive four grams of fibre, mostly pectin, which is also known for its ability to lower cholesterol.
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