The Benefits of apples For health are numerous: they improve the immune system, prevent cerebrovascular and cardiovascular diseases, improve dental health and vision, treat anemia, help maintain the line and others that we explain below.
The apple is an edible pomaceous fruit. Its color varies, being green in its less mature points and reddish in its fullness.
The apple tree, apple tree, first appeared between the area of the Caspian Sea and the Black Sea. It has a rounded and open shape, reaching more than 12 meters in some cases.
Its leaves are oval, of an intense green color, characteristic to give off a pleasant aroma when squeezing them.
As for their flowers, they are usually pink when they open, but gradually they become a white with the passage of time.
To obtain the apple, it is allowed to grow its tree from two to three years. Cultivation is usually carried out in nurseries. It is there where they are prepared in two parts:
- A Rootstock , Which is the plant in which a graft is made.
- A graft , Which is what will help provide the future apple tree cup.
15 amazing benefits of the apple
1- Improve your immune system
Apples are rich in a type of plant compounds called Phytochemicals . These inhibit cell proliferation and regulate the immune system and inflammation, helping in the fight against chronic diseases.
In particular, the most common phytochemical that can be found is Flavonoid .
Antioxidants are also another important point to address. Apples are among the foods with the highest percentage of this component. These molecules fight against the different free radicals of our body.
With regard to them, a study Conducted in 2004 by the US Department of Agriculture, concluded that this fruit is among the top 15 with more antioxidants per serving.
Likewise, fiber is also a crucial nutrient. An apple a day accounts for 17% - 4 grams of soluble fiber - of the fiber needed daily. In addition, it also serves to improve the intestinal flora.
2- Reduce the probability of suffering cerebrovascular and cardiovascular diseases
Their continued intake leads to levels of LDL cholesterol (Considered"bad") decrease, preventing a hardening of the arteries - atherosclerosis -, and consequently, a stroke or a heart attack.
In 2012, Ohio State University conducted a study With 51 participants. Three groups were formed: some ate apples, other antioxidant supplements and the last one placebo .
The group that consumed apples reduced cholesterol by up to 40% in blood, and as a consequence, the probability of getting a heart problem.
3- Decreases the risk of diabetes
It should be mentioned that apples do not act the same way for all people in this type of cases. Even so, they usually help To prevent type 2 diabetes .
This is what the Harvard Bulletin , Supported by Isao Muraki, a professor in the Nutrition Department of the Harvard School of Public Health:
" The data we have obtained support the increase of fruit consumption to prevent diabetes" .
Therefore, eating apples is a good choice to try to curb the onset of diabetes.
4- Excellent for the denture
Apples contain an astringent effect that cleans and detoxifies our teeth thanks to the bacterial properties they possess. This will prevent the development of dental caries.
Even its chewing helps the production of saliva in our mouth increase considerably.
In spite of this, we should not forget to brush our teeth: eating apples helps, but obviously it is much more effective to brush our teeth.
5- Prevention against gallstones
A high level of cholesterol will cause gallstones to form - especially in the gallbladder - due to the solidification of bile. This happens more assiduously in people who suffer obesity.
Due to the high percentage of fiber in the apple, it helps to maintain the liquidity of bile and prevents gallstones
6 - Improve vision
In its composition, the apple contains large levels of vitamins A and C that act on our ocular blood vessels.
What are its effects?
- The Vitamin A Helps our cornea, strengthening it and decreasing the probability of suffering macular degeneration. To get an idea of its importance, this vitamin is added to the drops that are used to lubricate the eyes.
- On the other hand, vitamin C Works as an antioxidant that protects our eyes against cataracts, macular degeneration or loss of visual acuity
7- Prevent cancer
Because of the different antioxidants they possess, apples act against free radicals, preventing the formation of cancer cells.
Especially we talk about an antioxidant called procyanidins. This helps prevent different cancers, but especially the colon.
As a result, thanks to a investigation It is known that people who consume one apple or more a day reduce the risk of colon cancer by 20% and breast cancer by 18%.
Regarding pancreatic cancer, it is the flavonoids that can prevent it. According to the American Association for Cancer Research, apple consumption reduces its prevention by 23%.
8- Protection against metabolic syndrome
The protection of metabolic syndrome is described as the"conjunction of several diseases or risk factors in the same individual that increase the likelihood of suffering from brain, cardiovascular or even diabetes,"the apple causes the effects of it to decrease.
In this set of diseases we find high blood pressure, broader waistlines, high level of triglycerides, or blood sugar when we are fasting for example.
According to a study by Dr. Victor Fulgoni in 2008, 27% of apple consumers are less likely to be diagnosed with the Metabolic Syndrome.
The doctor said that adults who eat apples and their derivatives have smaller waistlines, lower abdominal fat, lower blood pressure and lower risk of developing the Metabolic Syndrome.
9- Fight against degenerative diseases
Antioxidants get the odds of contracting Parkinson's Or other degenerative disease such as Alzheimer's are impaired.
For this benefit, it is recommended to ingest the apple with the included peel, to keep all its antioxidants.
On the other hand, flavonoids and quercetin, present in the apple, can act as a potent reducer of risk of this type of diseases.
Studies Claim that men can greatly reduce the chances of getting Alzheimer's.
Other research published in La Journal of Alzheimer's Disease , Explains that apple juice increases the production of Acetylcholine In the brain, a neurotransmitter that improves our memory.
10- Help keep the line
A study Showed that women who ate an apple and a half a day, lost about a kilo and a half after 12 weeks.
This is due to the high amounts of fiber they contain, decreasing the amount of energy in the body. The combination is perfect to reduce a few extra pounds.
Our stomach will be emptied more slowly, which means we will feel fuller for longer hours, eat less, and absorb nutrients more efficiently.
Food Chemistry, concluded in 2014 after an analysis of seven varieties of apples, which acted on good intestinal bacteria. This is achieved by combating obesity .
11- Protects us from intestinal problems
The fiber that contains the apple helps to fight against intestinal problems. Among these we found diarrhea, constipation Or Irritable Bowel Syndrome.
The fiber works according to two slopes, depending on the type of problem that we suffer:
- A slope to help us go to the bathroom
- The other to stop going to the bathroom.
Although it seems contradictory, the fiber functions as an intestinal regulator that works according to our needs.
12- Improve the respiratory system
The antioxidants found in the skin and shell of the apple, function as a natural antihistamine and anti-inflammatory, improving the respiratory system.
A study Carried out in 2007, reflected that mothers who ate apples during their pregnancy made their children less likely to suffer asthma or Wheezing .
In addition, it was shown that apples were the only food directly related to the reduction of respiratory problems. Women who consumed more, saw problems reduced by 27% in their children.
13- Treat anemia
Thanks to the iron that can be found in the composition of apples, anemia will no longer be such a serious problem.
It is known that anemia occurs due to a hemoglobin blood deficiency, which can be replaced with iron. As a result, the number of red blood cells in our body will increase, and thus, our health will be strengthened.
As a plus to this benefit, it should be noted that the increase in red blood cells will improve the oxygenation of the body, so our organs will function in a much more fluid and correct.
14- Power our immune system
When we fall into an illness it is difficult to recover and feel strong again. Because of this, the apple has been used as an object of recovery.
For example, thanks to its nutrients - pectin -, this fruit will increase our muscular strength on the one hand or activate our defenses more quickly in the matter of falling ill.
In animal studies, it was observed that its recovery accelerated by 50% thanks to the injection of pectin.
Curiosities
- The variety of apples is wide. In the United States more than 2500 types of apples are grown, while in the world, the figure amounts to 7500.
- The apple has no cholesterol. Neither sodium nor fat.
- 25% of the apple's matter is air. From there derives its capacity to float.
- Science based on apple cultivation is called pomology.
- The main apple producing powers in Europe are Poland, France, Italy and Germany.
- Globally, the largest producers are China, the United States, Turkey, Poland and Italy.
- Among the many fruits consumed by the Greeks and Romans, the apple was preferred by these, being always present in the food sources of their banquets.
- The apple is no more or less one of the most important symbols in Christianity: it is the fruit that banished Adam and Eve from paradise.
- This rich and tasty fruit is a favorite of the population. In Europe, on average, a total of 20 kilos per person per year is consumed.
- Preserved apples were found in refuges corresponding to prehistory in Switzerland.
- Surprisingly, apples were termed"winter bananas"in colonial times in the United States.
- The ripening time of apples is multiplied by ten if they are not refrigerated.