An Apple A Day

Apples have amazing health benefits and are a good source of vitamins and antioxidants. They contain antioxidants called phytochemicals, which slow the rate of cancer growth. Scientists think they may be a big part of the reason why having five servings of fruit a day can lower your risk of cancer—apples are the second most popular fruit after bananas.

A study that investigated how apples can slow cancer showed that an antioxidant phytochemical called quercetin, which is found in apples, helps to slow the progression of cancer. The spread of cancer tumors in rats decreased when they were fed fresh whole apples. The Cornell researchers found that rats fed a higher concentration of apples experienced more protective effects from known carcinogens. The amount of apples used in the study was about the same as eating 1-6 apples a day. The more apples the rats ate, the greater the protection from cancer.

Quercetin is found in high amounts in apples, particularly in the skin of the apple. So be sure to eat the peel, too. Red apples had higher amounts of quercetin but any color apples are good for your health. The researchers believe that eating fresh apples is better than taking antioxidant supplements because there may be other beneficial substances in apples that have not yet been identified.
SOURCES: Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry; Cornell University
http://pubs.acs.org/cgi-bin/abstract.cgi/jafcau/2005/53/i06/abs/jf0486040.html

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