Appel may be good for your heart
Apple has been linked to a lower risk of heart disease (5)
One reason may be that apples contain soluble-fiber The kind that can help lower your blood cholesterol levels.
They also contain polyphenols, which have antioxidant effects. Many of these are concentrated in the peel.
One of these polyphenols is the flavonoids were linked to a 20% lower risk of stroke(6)
Flavonoids can help prevent heart disease by lowering blood pressure, reducing "bad" LDL antioxidants (7)
Another study comparing the effects of eating an apple a day to taking statins- a class of drugs known to lower cholesterol - concluded that apples would be almost as effective at reducing death from heart disease as the drugs (8)
However, since this was not a controlled trial, findings must be taken with a grain of salt.
Another study linked consuming white-fleshed fruits and vegetables, such as appel and pears, reduces risk of stroke. For every 25 grams - about 1/5 cup of apple slices consumed the risk of stroke decreased by 9% (9)
Several studies have linked eating apples yo a lower risk of type 2 diabetes (10)
In one large study eating an apple, a day was linked to a 28% lower risk of type 2 diabetes, compared to not eating any apples. Even eating just a few apples per week had a similarly protective effect (11)
It's possible that the polyphenols in apples have to prevent tissue damage to beta cells in your pancreas. Beta cells produce insulin in your body and are often damaged in people with type 2 diabetes.
Apples contain pectin, a type of fiber that acts as a prebiotic. This means it feeds the good bacteria in your gut
Your small intestine doesn't absorb fiber during digestion. Instead, it goes your colon, where it can promote the growth of good bacteria. It also turns into other helpful compounds that critical back through your body.
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