Apple A Day - 40% Healthier Arteries

Author: Leticia Celentano Time for reading: ~2 minutes Last Updated: August 08, 2022

In this article, learn more about Apple A Day - 40% Healthier Arteries. The polyphenols in apples are the main culprits for this effect..

Last year's study from the University of Ohio showed how eating just one apple a day can lower "bad" LDL cholesterol in the blood by up to 40% in just 4 weeks. Scientists attribute this effect to the polyphenols contained in apple peels.

Taking polyphenolic supplements also had a positive effect, but not as good as fresh apples. Polyphenols are extremely potent in their ability to bind to hydrogen peroxide and singlet oxygen - strong free radicals - and remove them from the body before they cause harm.

LDL-cholesterol is able to react with free radicals in the blood, which oxidizes it. Oxidized LDL is one of the main causes of inflammation and tissue damage to blood vessels. These are usually the initial stages of atherosclerosis - hardening of the arteries, which leads to reduced flexibility and inadequate control of blood pressure, leading to hypertension and other cardiovascular problems.

Professor Robert DiSilvestro, the team leader who conducted the study at the state state university, claims that consuming only one apple a day for 4 weeks gives impressive results. Even people with existing coronary artery disease experience significant relief from their condition.

The professor says that the polyphenols in apples have the right concentrations and composition needed for optimal cardiovascular function - no more, no less.

Medicines containing polyphenolic extracts or synthetic polyphenolic compounds cannot achieve the effect that the apple has, the team is adamant and supports its claim with evidence. In a 4-week experiment, several hundred people were given polyphenols and LDL cholesterol levels were observed - oxidized and non-oxidized. One third of them were given one red or golden apple a day before breakfast, one third a capsule of 194 milligrams of polyphenols as contained in one apple , and the last one third a placebo.

After the end of the fourth week, the first 1/3 of the experimental group had the largest decrease in the levels of "bad" cholesterol, the second 1/3 - with slightly reduced values, and the placebo group had no significant deviations.

According to scientists, this is due to the fact that bioactive ingredients are best absorbed by the body when combined with other natural compounds that modulate their effect in unexplored ways.

The study also sheds light on the fact that chewing apple tissue releases antioxidants in saliva, which may help digestion, but is definitely good for dental health. The team's results were published in the Journal of Functional Foods 2022.

Apple A Day - 40% Healthier Arteries

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