What an Apple can do for your health

"An apple a day will keep the doctor away" this well known and common saying suggests that specifically an apple will improve ones health. People have repeated this saying over and over but until now there wasn't any scientific evidence that apples actually improve overall health. Now there is scientific research that an apple indeed will improve a person's health.

Thanks to the research performed by the Department of Nutrition, Food and Exercise Sciences at The Florida State University greater enlightenment has been shed on the power of an apple a day.

A previous study, performed upon animals suggested that apple pectin influences the production of lipid metabolism and reduces pro-inflammatory production. The department of Nutrition wanted to see if this specific property, ‘pectin' that the apples contain actually has the same influence on human in improving health.

The research randomly assigned 160 women between the ages of 45 and 65 years of age. Half of the sample group was given 240 extra calories of dried apples to consume each day and the other half of the sample group was given 240 extra calories of dried prunes to consume daily.

The results absolutely supported the phrase "an apple a day keeps the doctor away". The women that ate dried apple slices daily saw improvement in several areas. Tests were done three times throughout the year; at 3, 6 and 12 months. Considerable improvement was evident by six months. By the sixth month the women experience an average of 23% decrease in LDL cholesterol, or BAD cholesterol! Another positive effect was the lowering of lipid hydroperoxide levels and C-reactive protein.

Next time you think of the saying "an apple a day keeps the doctor away" perhaps you should take it literally and include the daily apple to your diet, whether fresh or dried.