Topic > Apples: 5 health benefits

IndexApples reduce the risk of diseaseApples help you lose weightApples and apple juice prevent lung diseasesApples and apple juice protect the liverApples and apple juice do good for the intestinesApples and apple juice protect the brain Healthy apples and fructoseOld varieties of apples are healthierApples are so common that you don't even worry if they are really healthy as the saying suggests "An apple a day keeps the doctor from I'll be back." At the same time, apples are severely undervalued. Superfoods from around the world appear to be better and more beneficial than apple. But that's not the case. A fresh apple from local orchards, maybe even an old variety of apple, has amazing healing effects on the body. And if you don't like eating whole apples, then make yourself some apple juice! Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essayApples reduce the risk of diseaseMany scientific studies repeatedly confirm that a diet rich in fruits and vegetables can significantly reduce the risk of chronic disease. The reason for this preventive effect of fruits and vegetables lies in the high content of so-called phytochemicals (phytochemicals). These include, for example, polyphenols, flavonoids and carotenoids. In the apple it comes from these z groups. Quercetin, catechin, kaempferol, hesperetin, myricetin and phloridzin - all powerful antioxidants with anti-inflammatory effects. It is no wonder that epidemiological studies consistently show associations between apple consumption and a reduced risk of cancer, asthma, diabetes and cardiovascular disorders. Yes, this last substance - phloridzin - seems to protect against loss of bone density, as early studies have shown and can therefore make an important contribution to the prevention of osteoporosis. However, the composition of the active ingredients varies greatly depending on the type of apple (see also under "Which apple variety is best"). Furthermore, the composition changes during the ripening process, so unripe apples provide different plant compounds than ripe ones. Storage also has an impact on phytochemical content, although less than processing into compote, applesauce or cooked juice. Therefore apples should never be cooked. Apples and their health benefitsApples should be in the everyday menu, especially during the autumn harvest season: they help lose weight, prevent asthma, protect against cancer, cleanse the liver, restore intestinal flora and make good for the brain - just a small selection of all to present the positive effects of apples. Apples help to lose weight When it comes to losing weight, you should definitely give preference to all apples. They help you lose weight better than apple juice. Eat a medium apple as an appetizer about 15 minutes before your main meal. The effect isn't huge, but it definitely contributes to the success of your customers. You save - so you found out - at least 60 kcal. In the corresponding study, test participants ate 15% less of the main meal after the apple appetizer. Since the meals in this study contained approximately 1240 kcal, the consumption of less was 186 kcal. Of these, the calories from the apple are now subtracted (in the present study they were 120 kcal), so that the aforementioned 60 kcal remains. Processed forms of apple (mus and juice) did not produce comparable results in this study. In a Brazilian study described in the March 2003 issue of Nutrition, consuming apples (and also pears) was also found to cause weight loss in overweight people. 400 women were divided into threegroups. One group ate a portion of oat biscuits three times a day in addition to normal meals (one would expect an effect due to the typical fibers of oats), the second an apple three times a day, and the third three times a day a portion of oatmeal biscuits. pear for 12 weeks each. The apple and pear groups lost 1.2 kilograms each, the oat biscuit group did not decrease. The two fruitsAdditionally, after 12 weeks the groups had healthier blood sugar levels than the oat biscuit group. Apples and apple juice prevent lung diseases A person who regularly eats apples or drinks apple juice is less likely to suffer from asthma, according to a Finnish study of 10,000 men. and women in 2002. The high flavonoid content in the apple strengthens lung function and thus reduces the susceptibility to asthma and many other lung - and also heart disease. The study therefore showed that the more quercetin (one of the flavonoids in apple) a person consumes, the lower the mortality from heart disease. Quercetin also reduced the risk of developing lung cancer and type 2 diabetes, while at the same time reducing the risk of stroke if the food contained a lot of campherol, naringenin and hesperetin, all flavonoids which, as is known, are also found in apple. Something similar was found in an Australian study of 1,600 adults. Those who ate a lot of apples and pears suffered from asthma less often and had stronger bronchi. Apples and Apple Juice Protect the Liver Apples and naturally cloudy apple juice are a kind of protective elixir for the liver. According to a study from March 2015, it is presumably the apple polyphenols (oligomeric procyanidins) that have a strong chemopreventive effect and can therefore protect against hepatotoxic chemicals. Other studies have shown that apple polyphenols can protect against oxidative stress and therefore the mitochondria (the powerhouses of our cells) from damage. Apple polyphenols also do the same when, for example, you take painkillers that would normally damage liver and intestinal cells. Indomethacin is one such painkiller. Apples may protect the liver and intestines from this drug, depending on the dose of the drug and the amount of apples. At the same time, apples help the intestinal flora maintain a healthy balance, which in turn provides relief to the liver. In the case of a diseased intestine, however, the digestive process is slow and numerous toxic substances develop in the intestine, which now reach the liver through the blood for detoxification. Rehabilitation of the intestine is therefore always one of the first steps if you want to do something good for the liver - and apples or apple juice apparently help. Apples and apple juice are good for the intestinesThe described effect of apples on the intestines is, according to some scientists, one of the main reasons why apples have such positive effects on health. They therefore believe that apples have a positive effect on health because they help restore the intestinal flora. Because it is known that the intestinal flora is where most of the immune system is located. When the immune system is strong and the intestine is healthy, any disease can hardly develop. What makes apple so beneficial for the intestine is probably the combination of flavonoids, polyphenols and fiber (pectin). Studies show that eating an apple increases the amount of short-chain fatty acids in the gut, indicating that gut bacteria have turned the apple's fiber into those fatty acids. On the one hand, apples provide food for the intestinal flora, on the other hand they ensure goodregeneration and care of the intestinal mucosa, as the resulting short-chain fatty acids are used by the cells of the intestinal mucosa as energy suppliers. Apples and Apple Juice Keep Your Brain Healthy Those who enjoy drinking naturally cloudy apple juice (daily) may also reduce their risk of Alzheimer's. Because apple juice inhibits - so researchers in 2009 in the journal Alzheimer's Disease - the formation of beta amyloid in the brain. Beta-amyloids are those deposits also called "senile plaque" and associated with dementia. And even if Alzheimer's is already diagnosed, apples and apple juice should be part of the diet. In this case, regular consumption of apples can improve patients' behavior - according to a study from June 2010. Researchers from the University of Massachusetts-Lowell, in the United States, found that consuming a quarter of apple cider per day ( divided into two servings and drunk for four weeks) in people with moderate to severe Alzheimer's disease improves their behavior and mental health by nearly 30%. Above all, fears, nervousness and disappointments have improved. Apples and fructose Apples are considered fruits very rich in fructose - and fructose is known not so good for health, as we have described here and here. But the example of the apple once again demonstrates very well that a substance in itself is not bad, but what matters is in what form and, obviously, in what quantity it is taken. If you take fructose in concentrated, isolated form on soft drinks, concentrated juices or sweets to consume alone, then it can be quite harmful. By consuming the fruit plain or its natural juice, however, this harmful effect does not occur. The cocktail of all the other very healthy substances prevents fructose from causing harm. On the contrary. It may also be that fructose has a beneficial effect here. Of course you shouldn't live alone on apple juice and drink it by the gallon. In these studies, subjects never consumed more than 250 ml of high-quality apple juice per day, and despite this small amount, it had a very positive impact. There are thousands of varieties of apples, ancient and brand new. The new ones are often huge, pristine and stay in the supermarket for weeks. Their taste is usually sweet and delicate, often tasteless. The old varieties still taste like an apple should have: aromatic, spicy and sweet-sour, sometimes even sour or lemon-like. They thrive less in orchards than on good old orchard lawn. They require fewer pesticides (if any) and are more resistant to disease. Their yield is less calculable, there are good years and less good years. It is often said that new breeds are richer in vitamin C. For example, Braeburn contains 20 mg of vitamin C per 100 g, while a "normal" apple provides only 12 mg of vitamin C. As if vitamin C were the measure of all things or apples. If you want to stock up on vitamin C, then think less about apples. You eat citrus fruits (50 mg of vitamin C), broccoli (115 mg), cauliflower (70 mg), chili pepper (120 mg), kohlrabi (60 mg) and many other vegetables and salads, but not necessarily an apple. In the case of apple, vitamin C is completely irrelevant. As we saw above, it is above all its phytochemicals that make it so valuable - and not vitamin C. Especially in terms of polyphenols, old apple varieties are much better equipped than new varieties. Old apple varieties are healthier. apple needs polyphenols to protect against fungal infections and insect infestations. Modern apple varieties, which grow on plantations and are sprayed 20 times a year against fungal infections and insects, do not require any self-protection and therefore produce none or only a few