Turns out some nursery-school cliches are actually true: An apple a day reallydoes keep the doctor away, according to a new study in the Journal of Functional Foods.
Researchers had a small group of 16 people eat either an actual apple, capsules packed with the same amount of polyphenols (plant compounds) in apples, or a placebo every day for 4 weeks.
The results? Those who followed the old adage lowered their blood levels of oxidized LDL—“bad” cholesterol linked to hardening of the arteries and cardiovascular disease—by 40 percent. Those who popped the capsules saw a decrease too—but not as dramatic. Researchers suspect that our bodies absorb polyphenols more effectively when they’re in foods.
And sure, that seems like a helluva lot of healing power for one little fruit—and the study was small—but the ability to reduce oxidized LDL is always encouraging, saysMen’s Health cardiology advisor Eric Topol, M.D., director of the Scripps Translational Science Institute.
“This opens up a new mechanism that has not been reported before,” he adds. “Now we just have to see if it holds up against larger studies.”
In addition to protecting your ticker, an apple a day also reduces swelling of all kinds, thanks to quercetin, a flavonoid also found in the skin of red onions. Quercetin reduces the risk of allergies, heart attack, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and prostate and lung cancers. If given the choice, opt for Red Delicious. They contain the most inflammation-fighting antioxidants. (Discover even more ways to keep your heart pumping strong with The Lean Belly Prescription, your no-diet, no-workout plan that’s better than running 5 miles a day!)
http://news.menshealth.com/apple-a-day/2012/10/08/
Posted via email from Markham Real Estate Today with Asif Khan
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