In a new study, researchers found that eating two apples a day could help keep cholesterol down and fight heart disease risk.
Eating apples rich in fiber and compounds called polyphenols could reduce the amount of total and LDL cholesterol and improve blood vessel health in people who had slightly high blood cholesterol levels.
The research was done by a team of scientists led by the University of Reading.
A particular interest in this study is how the two whole apples, rather than sugar and calorie matched apple juice drink, have had a significant effect on markers of the heart health of participants.
The team used Renetta Canada apples grown in the Trentino Italy, which were rich in a type of polyphenol compound called proanthocyanidins (PAs) and a matched apple juice squash as a control.
While the control apple drink was similar in calories and total sugar, the whole apple used had much higher proportions of fibre (8.5g vs <0.5g, respectively) and total polyphenol content (990mg vs 2.5mg, respectively).
The team says they don’t yet know whether the fiber that is found in the apple or the polyphenol which is in much greater concentration in the apples is responsible for the results.
Either way, the clear winner here is the whole food.
This study shows that simple small changes in our diet such as the daily introduction of two apples may have an important impact on markers of heart health.
One author of the study is Professor Julie Lovegrove, Director of the Hugh Sinclair Unit of Human Nutrition at the University of Reading.
The study is published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
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