Everyone knows the old “Apple a Day” saying, but just how beneficial are apples to our health? According to a new study examining postmenopausal women, the benefits go far beyond the fruit’s fiber content; apples strongly promote cardiovascular health as well.
Apples are truly a “miracle fruit,” according to the study authors, Dr. Bahram H. Arjmandi, PhD and Professor Margaret A. Sitton of Florida State University. Their study consisted of 160 women ages 45-65, half of which ate dried apples daily for an entire year. Samples of their blood were taken at 3, 6 and 12 months. Dr. Arjmandi was surprised at the results.
“Incredible changes in the apple-eating women happened by 6 months—they experienced a 23% decrease in LDL cholesterol,” which is known as “bad cholesterol,” Arjmandi said.
In addition to significantly reducing bad cholesterol, levels of good cholesterol increased by about four percent in the apple-eating women as well. Another advantage that the authors point to is that the women who ate an apple a day lost an average of 3.3 lbs. Authors say that this could be due to a compound called pectin in apples, which has been shown to have a satiety effect.
It turns out science truly backs up the “Apple a Day” expression, Arjmandi says. The next step is a much larger, more comprehensive nationwide study to further investigate the health benefits of apples.
“Everyone can benefit from consuming apples,” Arjmandi concluded.
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