Don’t forget that apple a day
Story tools:
Share this story:
Fall is apple season, and there’s no better time to enjoy the rich tastes and textures of the fresh, ripe fruit. In addition to their tantalizing flavors, all varieties of apples offer health benefits that are hard to beat.
The results of dozens of studies performed in recent years have linked apple consumption to reduced risks of several illnesses, ranging from the common cold to cardiovascular disease.
Animal studies at Cornell University in Ithaca demonstrated that apples may offer powerful protection against breast cancer. After exposing rats to an agent known to cause cancer of the mammary gland, the scientists fed some rodents varying amounts of apple extracts and gave others apple-free rations.
The more apple extract the rats were given, the greater the cancer protection. Compared with the rats fed the apple-free diet, rodents consuming the human equivalent of three apples a day developed 25 percent fewer tumors over a 24-week period.
Rats fed the equivalent of six apples a day experienced an impressive 61 percent reduction. In addition to developing fewer cancerous growths, the apple-treated animals developed tumors that were less malignant and grew at a significantly slower rate than the untreated rats.
Apples may play a similar role in the prevention and treatment of prostate cancer in men. Researchers at Mayo Clinic reported that natural compounds in apples can block hormone activity in prostate tumor cells, an action that can slow or prevent the spread of the cancer.
Eating apples has been linked to a lower risk of other cancers, including those of the lung, liver and digestive tract. Using an animal model of colon cancer, scientists at the German Cancer Research Center in Heidelberg concluded that drinking unfiltered apple juice on a daily basis may help prevent the disease.
In the study, rodents treated with unfiltered apple juice showed a 38 percent reduction in tumor formation in the small intestine compared with the animals drinking plain water. Unfiltered apple juice was used because it contains approximately four times as many antioxidants as filtered apple juice.
Antioxidants act as cancer-fighting agents by neutralizing unstable molecules called free radicals, which are the toxic byproducts of normal cellular metabolism. Free radicals can damage and destroy healthy cells and tissues in the body and are known to play a key role in the development of many chronic diseases.
Recent research suggests that apples may offer some protection against the development of Alzheimer’s disease. Cornell University scientists found that the antioxidants in apples shield brain cells from the damaging effects of hydrogen peroxide, a chemical known to produce the type of oxidative injury that contributes to Alzheimer’s disease.
Regular consumption of apples can help reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke. The antioxidants in apples appear to lower blood levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL), the type of cholesterol linked to heart disease.
The compounds appear to work by stimulating the production of LDL receptors in the liver. The receptors, in turn, help remove cholesterol from the blood, a mechanism similar to that of cholesterol-lowering statin drugs.
Eating an apple or two a day could help reduce your risk of getting the flu and other respiratory infections this year. Mounting scientific evidence suggests that quercetin, a powerful antioxidant in apples, may have protective effects against the influenza virus, especially during times of stress.
To get the most from the apples you eat, your best bet is to enjoy them unpeeled. Not only does the peel pack about 75 percent of the fiber content, it also contains roughly five times more antioxidant compounds than the flesh of the fruit.
When it comes to health benefits, there’s no such thing as a bad apple.
Dr. Rallie McAllister is a family physician in Kingsport, Tenn.
Reader comments
Log into MyBuffalo to post a comment
MyBuffalo is the new social network from Buffalo.com. Your MyBuffalo account lets you comment on and rate stories at buffalonews.com. You can also head over to mybuffalo.com to share your blog posts, stories, photos, and videos with the community. Join now or learn more.
Comments have been disabled.
Due to a high volume of submissions that violate The News’ guidelines, commenting is no longer available on this story. If you’d like to share your thoughts on this story, click here to get information on contributing to The News’ opinion pages.