Health Benefits of Apples ‘An apple a day keeps the doctor away!’ Whoever came up with that saying wasn’t kidding. Apples are packed with a store house of vitamins and nutrients, which can enhance your immune system and ward off diseases – that means your visits to the doctor will be drastically cut down! Apples come in different varieties, the most common of which include the Granny Smith, Red Delicious, Golden Delicious and the McIntosh Apple. Apples have a distinct rosy scent because they belong to the rose family of plants, ‘Rosaceae.’ Nutrients Found in Apples Since apple is a fruit, it is packed with numerous vitamins and minerals that contribute to a healthy immune system. Apples contain plenty of anti-oxidants like flavonoids and polyphenols, which are useful in the body for guarding it against various toxic substances and disease-causing germs. It is an excellent source of B-complex vitamins for example; a) Thiamine: for maintaining healthy mental and cardiovascular functioning, b) Riboflavin: for energy production and maintenance of a strong immune system and c) Pyridoxine: useful in treating heart disease, seizures, diabetes. It is loaded in anti-oxidants like vitamin C; which helps protect the body giving it immunity against harmful bacteria and viruses, and beta carotene that has anti-cancer and anti-cholesterol properties. The major minerals included in apples are: a) Potassium: that prevents the bad effects of sodium in the body and helps control blood pressure, b) Calcium: essential for strong bones and teeth, and c) Phosphorous: important for cell repair, hormone balance and protein formation. It is also very rich in dietary fiber called pectin that helps burn fats and promotes regular bowel movement. The health benefits of apples include; 1. Anti-cancer. An apple a day or two has potent anti-cancer abilities that safeguard the body from those life-sucking cancerous. By sticking onto the cancer causing substances that may be found in the colon, the dietary fibers found in apples shield the mucous membranes lining the colon from exposure to toxins and poisonous chemical. Apple peels are also very nutritious as there may be cancer-blocking compounds within them. Research shows that the major compounds found in red delicious apple peels battle further growth of cancerous cells in lung, colon cancer and breast cancer. So next time you want to toss those peels in the garbage, think of the nutritious value in them. 2. Health benefits of apples: Anti-cholesterol. Apples are high in soluble fiber called pectin that can help constrain cholesterol levels in the body. The fiber does this by helping prevent the absorption of LDL cholesterol. LDL, also known as low-density lipoprotein, is the bad kind of cholesterol- the villain that clogs arteries and culminates cardiovascular disease. What helps eliminate this bad cholesterol is the good cholesterol, HDL- high-density lipoprotein, which engulfs LDL and then transports it to the liver to be eradicated. Eating apples contributes to the destruction of bad cholesterol, creation of good cholesterol in the blood stream, and leading to an overall healthy heart. Health Benefits of Apples: Boosts Immunity and Enhances Brain Power Source: Apple Varieties - Sweet Tango Apples 3. Boosts Immunity. Apples are one of the foods that boost immunity because they contain a significant amount of anti-oxidants like and vitamins like vitamin C and beta carotene. Vitamin C is very important in the body for building up the body’s natural defense against harmful substances like disease-causing germs.The soluble fiber in apples also helps boost immunity because it has anti-inflammatory properties that help convert pro-inflammatory free radicals into healing anti-inflammatory cells – and these altered cells help fight off heart disease and diabetes, which are some of the inflammatory conditions affecting certain body organs. 4. Enhancing Brain power. Did you know that apples contain Boron, a potent mineral which is found in fruits and nuts? Since it is known to affect the nervous electrical activity of the brain, it is known to be a great brainpower food. It stimulates brain cells helping in maintaining healthy well-functioning nerve cells. A couple of apples may give you the benefit of 1 milligram of boron, which is a substantial amount for effective functioning of your brain cells, helps you stay alert and improves brain power. Throw in fresh apple slices with a few healthy nuts and enjoy a nutritious brain-boosting snack. 5. Health benefits of apples: Preventing Alzheimer’s. Alzheimer’s is a brain disease that is the most common form of dementia. It performs irreversible damage on nerve cells in the brain leading to memory impairment and loss of intellectual capabilities. An important flavonoid found in apples, quercetin, may help protect the brain cells from oxidation damage caused by free radicals, that may cause serious brain injuries and lead to Alzheimer’s. Beta amyloid is a fibrous protein that steadily accumulates in the brain tissues of people suffering from Alzheimer’s. Research shows that apple juice can actually interfere with the production of this detrimental protein, thereby impeding the onset of this form of dementia. Eating at least two apples a day can cut down the risks of getting Alzheimer’s. 6. Health benefits of apples: Averting Asthma. Phytochemicals and polyphenols-chemicals that may safeguard healthy cells from damage, contained in apples have healing properties that help in recovering asthma, breathing problems and the general functioning of the lungs. They may help also help relieve inflamed airways. Research shows that children who consumed apple juice regularly reduced the risks of suffering from asthma attacks and wheezing problems as compared to those who seldom consumed apple juice. In contrast, eating whole apples didn’t seem to be of any benefit to wheezing and asthmatic children. 7. Health benefits of apples: A healthy heart. Eating apples have been proven has very healthy for the heart as they contain anti-inflammatory properties that help heal the inflamed artery walls. The photochemical, quercetin also helps prevent blood clots. Apples have anti-cholesterol properties that help eliminate the yellow fatty plaque that clogs the arteries and fight off the bad cholesterol that stick to the arteries and prevent proper blood circulation through the heart. Toss a few fresh apple slices to your healthy fruit salad for a delightful decrease in your cholesterol levels. 8. Health benefits of apples: Weight Loss. Apples contain very low calories and have absolutely no saturated fat or cholesterol, in fact, one medium sized apple only contains about 80 calories. The calories used in breaking down the fiber from the apples are more than the actual amount of calories in apples. This means that the calories in apples provide energy in helping break down the apple fiber and thus get used up without ending up being converted to fats and stored in your body. The rich dietary fiber in apples also helps prevent overweight. How? The fiber keeps you feeling full for a longer time so that you may keep your mind away from food. Apples also contain low sodium which is important in weight control because eating foods less in sodium will help prevent water weight. Low sodium helps expel water out of the body, leading to temporary weight loss. So, next time you feel like having a snack, why not grab the fruit bowl and crunch on a couple of apples? 9. Health benefits of apples: Diabetes. Another one of the health benefits of apples is that it helps fight off oxygen-free radicals that actually cause diabetes. The anti-oxidants, also known as chemicals that neutralize destructive oxygen free radicals, in apples aid in eradicating the cell-damaging free radicals that wipe out healthy cells. The high soluble fiber, pectin in apples help in controlling blood sugar levels in the body by helping the sugar into the blood stream at a slow rate. Further, the soluble fiber has anti-inflammatory properties that alter oxygen free radicals, responsible for inflammations, into anti-inflammatory cells that may relieve and help people with diabetes type II build up immunity against infectious conditions. 10. Health benefits of apples: Eases Digestion. The fiber in apples may also relieve irritable bowel syndrome in some people. The common symptoms of Irritable Bowel syndrome are diarrhea, bloating and constipation. These can be thwarted by eating foods rich in fiber. Apples are rich in dietary fiber, and this fiber helps in preventing constipation by softening stool by drawing water from the intestines thereby easing bowel movements. Apples also aid in slowing down diarrhea by sucking up excess water from the stool. Health Benefits of Apples There are many more health benefits of apples but the top ten benefits have been described above. Remember an apple a day keeps the doctor away. These health benefits of apples have been proved by numerous scientific studies. rehanastormme.hubpages/hub/the-10-health-benefits-of-apples
Posted on: Wed, 03 Jul 2013 12:04:23 +0000
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