Some Benefits of Eating Apples
In conjunction with a balanced diet, phytonutrients in apples and other fruit can protect against some cancers and help prevent oxidative stress and damage to our bodies.
Preliminary tests at Cornell, published in the Journal of Agricultural & Food Chemistry (online, Feb 2005), indicate potential benefits of eating apples. When rats were fed the equivalent of one, three, or six apples per day, the incidence of mammary tumours decreased proportionately. The authors stressed these results are preliminary. We still have a long way to go before testing in humans, but the research is definitely encouraging in the fight against breast cancer.
These findings were corroborated in tests reported at the fall 2004 American Association for Cancer Research meeting in Seattle. Francis Raul, a French researcher, discussed the lab tests performed on cancer cells and on rats. Their conclusions definitely show the benefits of certain antioxidants found in apples, especially apple skins, against colon cancer. These findings could be significant for human health.
The good news doesn’t stop there. Oxidative damage is considered to contribute to age-related disorders such as Alzheimer’s. Quercetin is a potent antioxidant that occurs naturally in fruits such as grapes, blueberries, dark cherries, and apples and in some vegetables. In the Journal of Food Science (Nov/Dec 2004), scientists reported that lab tests show quercetin helps to both neutralize oxidation and minimize neural damage to cells with simulated Alzheimer’s.
All in all, research continues to support the importance of eating fruits and vegetables rather than taking dietary supplements. The vast numbers of phytochemicals and antioxidants in fruits and vegetables provide a synergistic effect, one that can’t be duplicated by a single pill. (For more about food synergy, click here.)
