Some foods have popular proverbs and sayings that extol their properties and extol their benefits. The apple is one of them, it is said that “an apple a day keeps the doctor away”. We will surely have heard it more than once during our lives. It is also a symbolic fruit on a historical level: it appears in the Bible as a forbidden fruit and in certain very popular children’s stories.
Anecdotes aside, it seems that the proverb we are talking about could have good and compelling reasons for the daily consumption of apples to become a healthy habit to integrate into our daily lives. Although no single food can ward off diseases, there are foods that provide us with many health benefits. What are apples?
Nutritional properties of apples
The nutrients in apples change a little depending on the variety we consume – it is important to keep in mind that this is a fruit with dozens of varieties.–. A portion of an apple (about 200 grams) contains 89 calories. It contains very little protein, fat and carbohydrates, especially in the form of sugars such as fructose, glucose and sucroseand respectable amounts of fiber, both soluble and insoluble.
The red skin of some of them contains more antioxidants, although all are full of nutrients such as antioxidants, especially quercetin, a nutrient found in highly pigmented foods, such as citrus fruits, and which has made the subject of much attention for its ability to regulate. the immunological system. Like pears, apples contain a substance called pectin, an excellent source of prebioticsfood for good bacteria.
The water content of apples is also high, around 85% of each of them, which makes it a food with significant hydrating action.
Apples are also a rich source of vitamins C and K, but more importantly, they can provide phenolic antioxidants. These compounds have important health effects, such as neutralizing free radicals in the body that can damage tissues.
Benefits of eating an apple a day
May help lower LDL cholesterol and improve heart health
One of the main benefits of apples, and one that justifies the aforementioned proverb, is associated with heart health. According to this investigation collected in PubMedadults with mildly elevated cholesterol levels who consumed two apples per day experienced a notable reduction in LDL cholesterol, which is thought to help reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.
In this article Published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutritrion, experts found that consuming apples rich in fiber and polyphenols reduces the amount of total and LDL cholesterol and improves markers associated with blood vessel health in people with high levels. slightly elevated blood cholesterol.
Various studies Studies of people with high cholesterol also show that eating an apple a day can reduce total cholesterol levels by 5 to 8 percent. A few research showed that eating between 100 and 150 grams of apples per day is associated with a lower likelihood of suffering from heart disease and risk factors such as high blood pressure. One reason for this could be its soluble fiber content.
May support gut health
Apples contain pectin, a type of fiber that acts as a prebiotic in the gut microbiome. This pectin promotes the growth of beneficial bacteria. Various studies They also suggested that eating apples can help digest food better, which can help with constipation, although it depends on the type of apple we eat.
It is associated with a possible reduction in diabetes
Although it naturally contains fructose, the sugar in the fruit, eating an apple a day is linked to a reduced risk of developing type 2 diabetes. After evaluating around 10,000 people, the results of a study. study published in Nutrition Journal showed that people who regularly ate apples were less likely to develop type 2 diabetes than those who did not eat them regularly. Other investigationconducted this time on more than 38,000 people, revealed that those who ate more than one apple per day were 28% less likely to develop type 2 diabetes than those who did not eat apples.
Experts explained the benefits by linking them to the antioxidants and fiber found in apples; the first for its ability to protect the pancreas from damage, because it produces insulin to remove glucose from the blood, and fiber, because it would help slow the absorption of glucose into the bloodstream.
Whole, unpeeled apples
The way we take the apple will decisively influence whether or not we benefit from all these effects. The best way to benefit from their properties is to consume them whole and with skin, because it contains a large part of the fibers and most of the flavonoids. Throwing away the skin means we’ll lose some important phytonutrients that aren’t found just in the pulp, like insoluble fiber and a type of soluble fiber, pectin.
The apple skin is also rich in antioxidants in the form of polyphenols, flavonoids and vitamin C. It is therefore one of the parts with the highest nutritional value.
