As sure as God made little green
apples, America's most abundant fruit is loaded with health-promoting nutrients
like antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, fiber, and other good-for-you compounds.
It's hard to go wrong when you start your day shining up a Mac, Red Delicious,
or Honey Crisp on your sleeve. It's no wonder some clever Welsh bloke from
Pembrokeshire had the wisdom to coin the adage that eventually shortened to,
"an apple a day keeps the doctor away."
That pearl of wisdom still holds
true. In the pantheon of snack foods, the apple reigns supreme as the largest
source of antioxidants from fruits consumed in the United States. These
plant-based compounds containing phenols can halt the reaction of free radicals
with other molecules, preventing damage to your DNA, which in turn may slow
aging and protect against chronic disease.
But that doesn't mean there are
no negative side effects associated with eating apples. There are, but consider
the alternatives before making apples a forbidden fruit. First, take a bite out
of these good and not-so-good side effects of eating apples, according to
science. And for more healthy tips, be sure to check out our list of the 108
Most Popular Sodas Ranked By How Toxic They Are.
Chronic Disease Prevention
Apples are a rich source of
phytochemicals: powerful compounds that studies show have strong antioxidant
activity, inhibiting the growth of cancer cells and decreasing the oxidation of
blood fats. And epidemiological observations suggest that eating apples may
reduce the risk of certain cancers. A review of studies published in Planta
Medica found that people who ate one or more apples a day had less risk of
multiple types of cancer than people who ate fewer apples.
Lower Cholesterol and Blood Sugar
Don't ever peel an apple. Why?
Two-thirds of the fiber and most of those free-radical-fighting antioxidants
are found in the peel. Apples are a good source of pectin, which is a soluble
fiber found in apple peels that can help support heart health by lowering LDL "bad"
cholesterol and also improve blood sugar control, reducing your risk of
developing type 2 diabetes. By combing with water in the digestive system,
pectin forms a gel that slows down digestion and prevents carbohydrates from
being quickly absorbed into the bloodstream.
Weight Loss
"Apples are mostly made up
of water and fiber and are relatively low in calories, making them a filling
snack and perfect for weight loss," says Lisa R. Young PhD, RDN, author of
Finally Full, Finally Slim: 30 Days to Permanent Weight Loss One Portion at a
Time.
Try eating a small apple as an
appetizer before dinner instead of cheese and crackers or bread—you'll save
calories and fill your belly. In a clinical trial published in Nutrition,
researchers gave three groups of overweight women one of three foods with which
to supplement their meals: apples, pears, or oat cookies, and instructed them
to eat their supplement three times a day. At the end of 12 weeks, only the
fruit eaters lost weight (an average of 2.7 pounds!).
Regular Bowel Movements
If you're finding yourself having
regular trouble staying regular, start crunching on this natural laxative. The
insoluble type of fiber in apples will help prevent constipation by drawing
water into your intestines and adding bulk to your stool, making it move
through your bowels more quickly. Apples also contain sorbitol and fructose,
which also draw water into the intestines and soften the stool.
A Healthier Microbiome
Eating apples can fertilize a
healthier gut. In a study in Frontiers in Microbiology, researchers discovered
that the typical apple delivers 100 million bacteria to your gut, 1,755
different kinds, that is if you eat the whole thing, including peel, fruit,
stem, and seeds. But even if you skipped the seeds and stems, you'd still get
an abundance of different strains of bacteria to grow a diverse garden of
microbes, the hallmark of good gut health. A healthy, diverse gut microbiome
has been linked to a stronger immune system and reduced risk of diabetes and
heart disease.
Soft Teeth & Cavities
Apples have been called
"nature's toothbrushes." The thinking has been that chewing the
fibrous fruit scrubs away food particles and plaque. But while crunching on an
apple after dinner will probably dislodge that annoying piece of spinach
between your teeth, it doesn't take the place of a good brushing. A 2018 report
in Plos One found that eating apples, which are highly acidic, is associated
with tooth wear in the enamel and early exposure of the dentine beneath the
enamel. Eating apples creates an acidic environment in the mouth, which
provokes a lowering of the pH of plaque. Long periods of low pH allow
cavity-causing bacteria to flourish, the research showed.
