by Margie King, Health Coach
(GreenMedInfo) Folklore has always claimed an apple a day keeps the doctor away. Now we also know apples are fast-acting. Eating just one a day for a month can get you significant cardiovascular benefits.
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Researchers at Ohio State University found eating one apple every day for just four weeks can lower blood levels of oxidized low-density lipoprotein – commonly called the “bad” LDL cholesterol – by 40% in healthy, middle aged people. According to the often challenged “lipid hypothesis” – also known as the “cholesterol myth” – cholesterol is a cause of heart disease. But oxidation is the real culprit.
According to the lead researcher Robert DiSilvestro, PhD, a professor of human nutrition at the university, oxidized LDL begins the process of atherosclerosis or hardening of the arteries. He suggested that just one apple a day for four weeks had the effect of preventing the LDL from becoming oxidized.
In the study, published online in the Journal of Functional Foods, researchers divided study participants into three groups. One group ate a large Red or Golden Delicious apple purchased from a local grocery store daily for four weeks; a second group took daily capsules containing polyphenols for four weeks; and the final group took a placebo containing no polyphenols.
Polyphenols are a type of antioxidant found in certain plants including apples.
According to Dr. DiSilvestro, eating a daily apple was significantly more effective at lowering oxidized LDL than other antioxidants, including curcumin, green tea and tomato extract.