1.Benefit: Nutrition, straight upPacking in quite a bit of soluble fiber (4 grams per mediumapple) for a modest amount of calories (95) makes apples a filling, sweetsnack. Plus, a medium apple counts as 1 cup of fruit, so after eating oneyou’re well on your way to meeting your daily fruit quota (around 2 cups foradults on a 2,000-calorie diet). They also are a good source of immune-boostingvitamin C (providing 14% of the Daily Value).
2. Weight LossApples satisfy hunger for few calories so it’s not surprisingthat they can be part of a healthy diet that promotes weight loss. And in arecent study, dried applesalso helped participants lose some weight. Women who ate a cup of dried applesdaily for a year lost some weight and lowered their cholesterol and heartdisease markers. Florida State University researchers think apples’antioxidants and pectin (a type of fiber) are responsible for the benefits—andthink that fresh apples would be even more effective.
3. HeartHealthThe Florida State study is not the only one to link apple consumptionto heart health. Last year, the Iowa Women’s Health Study reported that, amongthe 34,000-plus women it’s been tracking for nearly 20 years, apples wereassociated with a lower risk of death from both coronary heart disease andcardiovascular disease. Some years earlier, Finnish researchers studyingdietary data collected over 28 years from 9,208 men and women found thatfrequent apple eaters had the lowest risk of suffering strokes compared withnonapple eaters. Experts attribute the heart-healthy benefits to antioxidantcompounds found in apples, which help prevent LDL cholesterol from oxidizingand inhibit inflammation. Plus, the soluble fiber in apples has also been shownto lower cholesterol levels.
4.Protect Against Metabolic SyndromePeople who eat apples may be less likely to suffer frommetabolic syndrome, a cluster of symptoms linked to an increased risk of heartdisease and diabetes. Joyce Hendley reported in EatingWell Magazinethat researchers who analyzed National Health and Nutrition Examination Study(NHANES) data, a survey of eating and health habits, found that people who hadeaten apples in any form over the past day were 27 percent less likely to havesymptoms of metabolic syndrome than those who didn’t. The apple eaters also hadlower levels of C-reactive protein, a marker of inflammation whose presence inthe blood suggests an increased risk for heart disease and diabetes.
5.Exercise ExtenderEating an apple before you work out may boost your exerciseendurance. Apples deliver an antioxidant called quercetin, which aids enduranceby making oxygen more available to the lungs. One study showed thatquercetin—when taken in supplement form—helped people bike longer.