Surprising benefits of apples

Afro-American activist, Martin Luther King,  once said, “even if I knew that tomorrow the world would go to pieces, I would still plant my apple tree.”  New research gives more reasons than ever to plant apple trees and enjoy their delicious and nutritious fruit.  Here are ten surprising reasons to sink your teeth into an apple today:

 Research found that when healthy adults consumed an apple fifteen minutes before eating a meal, they ate 15 per cent less at the meal.  This simple habit can result in weight loss for anyone looking for an easy and healthy way to lose weight.

In other studies, apples have been shown to significantly alter the amounts of the bacteria Clostridiales and Bacteroides in the large intestine, conferring gastrointestinal health benefits.

Thanks to their phytonutrient content, apples have been show to lower the risk of asthma and lung cancer in numerous studies.

In a study funded by the USDA, postmenopausal women who ate dried apples daily experienced a 23 per cent reduction in LDL cholesterol (the one known as “bad cholesterol”) and a four per cent increase in HDL cholesterol (“the good cholesterol”) within six months.

In a British study published in BMJ, researchers found that eating an apple a day was as effective as statin drugs to lower cholesterol levels, without the harmful side-effects.  They also found that if 70 per cent of the British population simply ate an apple on a daily basis, 8500 lives would be spared every year from heart attacks or strokes.

Researchers at Tufts University found that catechin polyphenols found in apples speed abdominal fat loss by 77 per cent and double weight loss in overweight individuals.  Catechins also improve the body’s ability to use insulin, thereby preventing wild blood sugar fluctuations that effect energy, mood, and cravings.