The old adage “ An apple a day keeps the doctor away.” may be truer than you think. There are research studies suggesting that apples may well be one of the most healthy foods for you to include in your daily diet. There are many types of apple today due to genetic modification. Some are sweeter than others. I recall a good place to start when reading about apples is in Michael Polllan’s book “ The Botany of Desire ‘ There is a chapter of apples.
Apples are popular the world over, making up 12.5% of all fruits consumed. I do recommend patients to consume an apple a day and mixed berries as both fruits are low glycemic A recent study at the University of Reading consumed two apples a day for 8 weeks. The end results was a 4 % reduction in LDL, the bad cholesterol over control.
This was a small study but worthy. Another study involving 9,208 men and women showed that those who ate the most apples over a 28-year period had the lowest risk for stroke. I always feel that more studies on fruits and vegetables need to done . There are many phytochemicals present in fruits and vegetables that can lower cholesterol as well as important cardiac risk factors.