The health benefits of apples are many. The antioxidant benefits alone are impressive! Eating them is linked to a lower risk of many chronic conditions, including studies now saying that apple intake is linked to anti-asthma benefits! An incredibly nutritious fruit, apples have an astounding 7,500 varieties grown around the world
Here are our top 5 health reasons why we love apples
Antioxidant Benefits
Since most of the polyphenols in apples function as antioxidants, it’s not surprising to see so many health benefit studies focusing on the antioxidant benefits from apple. Particularly strong is the ability of apples to decrease oxidation of cell membrane fats. This benefit is especially important in our cardiovascular system since oxidation of fat in the membranes of cells that line our blood vessels is a primary risk factor for clogging of the arteries and other cardiovascular problems.
Vitamin C and Flavanoids
In addition to their unusual polyphenol composition, apples also provides us with about 8 milligrams of vitamin C. While that amount is not a lot, it’s still important, especially since the recycling of vitamin C in our body depends on the presence of flavonoids and apples do an amazing job of providing us with those flavonoids
Cardiovascular Benefits
The cardiovascular benefits of apples are well-documented in research studies, and they are closely associated with two aspects of apple nutrients: their water-soluble fibre (pectin) content, and their unusual mix of polyphenols. Total cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol are both decreased through regular intake of apples.
Possible Anti-Cancer Benefits
Although some preliminary results show apple benefits for several different cancer types (especially colon cancer and breast cancer), it’s the area of lung cancer benefits that stand out in the apple research.
Anti-Asthma Benefits
Like the lung cancer benefits of apples, the anti-asthma benefits have been somewhat surprising to health researchers. Multiple studies have shown apple intake to be associated with decreased risk of asthma.
Dr John Douillard gives us his recommendation on how to eat apples for maximum health benefits:
“Eat only organic apples! Apples are on a list of 12 foods that are commonly contaminated with pesticides, called the “Dirty Dozen”. The magic of apples seems to be the combination of the phyto-nutrients and the apple pectin. The best way to get these is from eating the whole fruit. Apples freshly juiced in a juicer still hold onto many of these beneficial properties. Store-bought apple juice, however, will have significantly fewer of these benefits.”
Check out our Easy Sugar Free Apple Cobbler recipe we think it is a perfect way to enjoy apples.