<b>TATCHME GIVEAWAY: EAT AN APPLE A DAY<b>
Posted by Rosa Bellei on Tue, Apr 19, 2011
An apple a day really can help keep the doctor away.
Researchers from Florida State University decided to put apples to the test. Bahram Arjmandi, chair of the department of nutrition, food and exercise sciences at Florida State University in Tallahassee presented the findings at the Experimental Biology meeting in Washington D.C. on April 12, 2011.
They recruited 160 women between the ages of 45 and 65 and randomly assigned them to eat daily servings of either dried apples or prunes, which are dried plums. Study participants received blood tests to look for markers of heart health after 3, 6, and 12 months.
The women who ate apples saw their low-density lipoprotein cholesterol — the "bad" kind known as LDL — drop by 23 percent after six months. At the same time, their "good" high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, or HDL, rose about 4 percent. Women in the apple group ate 2/3 cup each day. Though the apple slices added 240 calories to their daily diet, these women wound up losing weight — 3.3 pounds, on average.
The researchers suggest that two compounds found in apple known as pectin and a class of antioxidants known as polyphenols were behind the heart benefit.
Pectin
The soluble fibre, pectin, is singled out as one of the most beneficial fibres with unique health-promoting qualities.
Pectins are complex polysaccharides (fibres) present in the cell walls of plants and in the spaces between cell walls. Apples are an excellent source of pectin as they can contain from 10 to 20 percent pectin in dried apple pomace. The peel itself contains 15 percent pectin.
Antioxidants
Apple polyphenol are potent antioxidants for scavenging free radicals that are ever present in our bodies. A recent study by the Chinese University of Hong Kong shows that polyphenol extends average lifespan by 10 percent.
When people in the United States consume fruits, 22% of antioxidant compounds come from apples. This makes apples the greatest source of antioxidants in the American diet.
Three Easy Tips
- Choose organically grown apples whenever possible.
- Most of the apple's fiber is contained in its skin. Peeling apples results in the loss of flavonoids and most of its valuable fiber.
- Eat the whole fruit instead of simply drinking apple juice, eating peel-free applesauce or taking fiber supplements.
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This research is made possible by Tatchme® Natural Beauty, an Italian brand of natural anti-aging face and body creams.
Please visit our website: www.tatchme.com
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