With An Apple A Day, My Cholesterol Runs Away From Me

"An apple a day, keep the doctor away from me!" We all know this old and tired saying. But sometimes, no matter how boring the apple may seem to us, it is worthwhile to provide it regularly.

These days, another study came out examining the beneficial effects of apples on health . In one small one, in which only 40 volunteers participated, it was found that the apple was the fruit of the heart. Not literally, of course, but after two months of eating only two apples a day for variety, their bad cholesterol levels dropped significantly.

The "working" nutrients in the apple are its polyphenols , which have antioxidant action, and pectin. Pectin is a structural polysaccharide found in most fruits. It is not broken down by the body, but passes undigested through the gastrointestinal tract. Along with cellulose, it is considered a valuable ballast substance that improves intestinal peristalsis and helps cleanse the body of toxic substances. It is useful for both constipation and diarrhea.

Most of the fruit pectin has the ability to form a specific gel, which is why it is used in the food industry as a thickener and stabilizer: in the first case it can be found in jams, jams and marmalades, in the second - in juices, candies and even milk.

Pectin has long been found to help lower cholesterol . This is evidenced by a new study in which 22 people who ate apples for 8 weeks lowered their high bad cholesterol from 5.2 mmol / L to 3.72. Those below 3 mmol / L are considered healthy limits for bad LDL cholesterol in the blood.

Close to this success were achieved by 18 other people, who instead of the fruit consumed freshly squeezed apple juice - from the same excessive limits in the beginning their cholesterol dropped to 3.86 mmol / L.

Although the calories and the amount of sugar in the apple and in the apple juice are the same and their effect on cholesterol is similar (the results differ by only 4%), the experts specify that the whole fruit is much more useful for health. It contains much more fiber - 8.5 g, for comparison in the juice are only 0.5 g. Polyphenols in it reach 990 mg, while in the juice are only 2.5 mg.

What is the health effect of pectin ? The pectin present in the intestine binds to cholesterol and bile acids, which suppresses the absorption of cholesterol by the body and consequently reduces its concentration in the blood. In addition, pectin is used as a 'food' by beneficial intestinal bacteria, which, when ingested, release valuable short-chain fatty acids.

Not quite ripe fruits are richer in pectin, as it naturally decomposes when ripe. Pectin is found not only in apples, but also in other fruits (and vegetables) such as apricots, quinces, plums, guavas, gooseberries, even carrots (just like apples), as well as oranges and other citrus fruits. The fleshy part of the citrus fruits is rich in pectin, but their peel is many times more! In order to get more pectin with natural food, choose harder fruits .