'Eat an apple a day and keep the doctor away': How true is this centuries-old claim?
Around 100
million tonnes of apples are produced worldwide each year. Available in a wide
range of colours and flavours, this fruit has long been known to help us stay
healthy.
The famous
saying ‘an apple a day keeps the doctor away’ actually comes from a Welsh
proverb written in 1866 which states ‘an apple at bedtime and the doctor will
not be able to earn his living.’
But are
apples really healthier than other fruits?
Why are
apples considered a healthy food?
First, let’s
talk about the nutrition in apples. They are a rich source of phytochemicals,
including polyphenols, which help maintain a healthy weight and reduce the risk
of heart disease.
Apples
contain various polyphenols that help improve heart health and control blood
glucose levels.
According to
a study published in 2020, researchers divided 40 people with high cholesterol
into two groups. One group ate two apples a day, while the other group drank an
apple-based drink.
The
experiment lasted for about eight weeks, and the participants in the study did
not change their diet. During the study, the researchers found that those who
ate two apples a day had lower cholesterol levels than those in the other
group.
The only
weakness of this study is that its sample size was small.
Another
study found that eating three apples a day helps with weight loss and improves
glucose levels in the body.
Gozo says
that apples should be eaten without peeling them because it is more beneficial.
She adds,
“We should definitely eat the apple peel because that is where the most
benefits of this fruit can be obtained.”
According to
her, old varieties of apples should be preferred over new varieties.
In 2021,
Gozzo and his colleagues published a research article on Pom Prussian apples
grown in Italy and stated that the polyphenol content of old apple varieties is
higher than that of new varieties.
“When
farmers choose a new variety to grow apples, they are thinking more about its
size, taste and tree. Prioritizing these characteristics over the amount of
polyphenols leads to a decline in the quality of the apple.”
Commenting
on the color of the apple, she says that it does not matter because polyphenols
make it both red and green.
But that
doesn't mean that if you're eating an apple every day, you should visit the
doctor less often, as doing so can have a negative impact on your health.
Gozo says
that eating an apple a day is a good thing, but other vegetables should also be
included in the diet to maintain good health.
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