Everyone has heard the famous phrase “an apple a day keeps the doctor away,” While I don’t think this phrase should be taking completely literal, I did wanted to look into if there is actually any medical benefits of eating an apple a day.
Prior to researching I thought there would be little evidence that a single piece of fruit would have enough benefits to seriously help your health. However, what I found was surprising.
An apple a day can lower the chances getting diabetes, high blood pressure, as well as many types of cancer. Apples also contain pectin, which is a form of soluble fiber that lowers both blood pressure and glucose levels. In addition, they are full of Vitamin C, which helps boost immunity and is good for overall health. Apples act as a toothbrush as well, cleaning teeth themselves and also getting rid of bacteria inside the mouth and on teeth, which helps reduce the risk of tooth decay.
One article claims that while all these advantages are great health benefits, and apples should be eaten if you’re trying to maintain a healthy diet, they outright most likely will not keep a doctor away. “An apple a day can be a good idea if it replaces less healthy foods,” “If you are replacing high-fructose corn syrup or other high calories, high carbohydrate foods with an apple, this would be very healthy.” Says one article. However, that doesn’t mean they necessarily keep the doctor away.
But according to an article on WebMD, an apple a day can keep the doctor away. Vitamin supplements can be helpful, but they are not as wholesome and beneficial as the fruit and vegetables themselves. One fresh apple alone is equal to 1,500 milligrams of vitamin C. Another amazing aspect of the apple has to do with cancer cells. Using colon cancer cells treated with apple extract, a group of doctors found that 50 milligrams of apple extracted from the skins of the fruit, decreased the cancer cell growth by 43%, while the same amount of extract from the flesh of the apple decreased cancer cell growth by 29%. So lots of the importance in the apple comes from its skin not the flesh of the fruit. With discoveries of the cancer-treating effects and other health benefits of apples, it would not be so far fetched to say that in fact, maybe not one, but an apple or two a day could actually keep the doctor away.
It should not be thought that eating only apples for every meal will keep you immortal, but including an apple or multiple fruits and vegetables into a healthy diet could lower your chances of many diseases and sicknesses leading to a lessened risk of having to be treated by a doctor. I also don’t recommend giving up going to the doctor because you eat an apple everyday, but it is important to know that apples can possibly help you not have to go as frequently.
There is always the risk of chance when it comes to disease and science, so it is hard to determine fully the potential powers apples hold when it comes to healing sickness or preventing it. However according to the reports I’ve read apples help! So, I’m going to go out and eat an apple!
Sources:
http://health.howstuffworks.com/mental-health/human-nature/health-myths/an-apple-a-day1.htm
http://www.uamshealth.com/?id=12428&sid=1
http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/news/20000621/benefits-of-eating-fruit
Paige, While I did state in my blog that soley an apple a day would not be beneficial to a balanced diet, there for sure are benefits to eating them with healthy meals everyday. I agree that they are not doing it alone. I included a quote from a scientist that stated that if apples are being consumed instead of sugars then that IS helping to keep the doctor away and adding to a healthy diet, so that eludes to your question about eating apples with cookies. It is more beneficial to eat an apple INSTEAD of cookies than to eat them both.
Kelli, this is a very interesting point and one that I did not look much into through my research. It would definitely be interesting to see the health benefits of eating and organic apple versus an apple with chemicals. A test could be run to see the blood levels, and also to see what type of apple had a more positive effect on cancer cells. Thanks for you comment it for sure added some food (pun intended) for thought onto another aspect of my research.
I agree that an apple a day could definitely keep the doctor away. Are there any other foods that may keep the doctor away? Turns out, a new saying could be “three eggs a day keeps the doctor away” They are full of nutrients and protect against heart disease! They contain minerals and have vitamins and antioxidants. Sounds like 3 eggs a day will give you all the things you need to not see the doctor very often!
http://chriskresser.com/three-eggs-a-day-keep-the-doctor-away
I believe that there are many other reasons behind the fact that “an apple a day keeps the doctor away”. I have heard that apples lead to weight loss. Since they are crunchy, our mind is tricked into thinking that it is eating more than it actually is, so we won’t feel the need to eat as much later on. I have tried this idea out myself and it actually does work! Crunchy foods definitely make you feel like you’re eating more. This is the main reason why I think it could “keep the doctor away” because these people who eat apples are less likely to have health issues such as diabetes. Here are some other crunchy foods that help you lose weight! http://quemas.mamaslatinas.com/health_fitness/124683/5_crunchy_foods_that_help?use_mobile=1
As healthy as apples are, fruit in general actually, I can’t help but to wonder just how healthy they are in this day and age when they are grown using pesticides and different chemicals to “keep them fresh.” I personally love apples, but it’s off putting to know that majority of the produce available to us has been treated with pesticides. And article I found talks about how apples specifically are the most contaminated product of the fruits that have been grown with the use of pesticides. It even talks about the increased risks of some diseases! http://science.time.com/2011/06/13/apples-can-be-tainted-with-pesticides%E2%80%94but-you-still-need-your-fruits-and-vegetables/
I don’t really believe that an apple a day will keep the doctor away, I feel it’s a bit exaggerated. A healthy diet and a fit life are what I believe will help keep the doctor away. I don’t think eating an apple can hurt at all, but I don’t think it’s going to make your immune system that much stronger. If you have bad genetics and get sick a lot, there isn’t much you can do to fix that, It’s hereditary. I’m wondering if you were able to find any experiments or studies done to show that an apple a day has actually been proven to help. Perhaps two groups tested– one group given an apple a day and one not, and then a recording of the results. You would also have to take into consideration what other foods are being consumed, if someone is eating cookies and McDonalds and then eating an apple to balance it out, its probably not helping so much. If someone isn’t eating an apple, but eating a lot of fruits and vegetables this can probably help the immune system also. According to the Washington Post, “In 2012, an Ohio State University study found that eating an apple a day helped significantly lower levels of bad cholesterol in middle-aged adults, and in 2011 a Dutch study found that eating apples and pears might help prevent strokes.” So maybe after all it can help, but I wouldn’t say entirely, there are definitely other variables that “keep the doctor away.”
Since my dad is a doctor, we would always joke to stay away from apples so our dad wouldn’t have to stay away as the rhyme said. However, I never actually looked into the actual health benefits of eating an apple daily. I found a study that had “healthy, middle-aged adults” eat an apple a day for a month. It resulted in a 40% decrease in blood levels due to the apple’s interaction with low-density lippoproteins. These LDLs harden in arteries and cause heart problems, but eating an apple daily had a huge impact on lowering this dangerous molecules. Third variables may need to be taken into account on this study because it was funded by “an apple industry group.” Still, I agree, Austin, that an apple a day may keep the doctor away.
http://researchnews.osu.edu/archive/appleaday.htm